ARDA chairman, Basil Nyabadza

By Ndakaziva Majaka
Deputy Business Editor

THE Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) is looking for partners to extend its Manicaland plantations, as it eyes seed projects in the region.
ARDA chairman, Basil Nyabadza, last week said the firm was also in the market for long-term financing to boost capacity at its plantations.
“What we are doing is we want to expand the estates. In Chipinge we want to improve output of macadamia nuts so this needs long-term financing, with the Nyanga plantations we are also looking for long-term money so that we can get into potato seed production,” he said.
ARDA  which owns 21 estates around the country  has been on a retooling drive, actively looking for partnerships to improve output.
“We are basically doing this for all the estates. We have been expanding in Matabeleland North, South and Midlands. We continue to look at how we can expand,” he said.
The parastatal also has a joint venture with Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited (Schweppes) at the Best Fruit Processors, Zagrinda plant in Norton.
Nyabadza said the plant had been steadily ramping up production, but highlighted this was seasonal.
“We have managed to increase capacity at the plant. We want to see capacity at 100 percent throughout the year, but due to fruit unavailability this has not really been happening. We understand this will not happen overnight so we are also working on getting our own orchards,” he said.
The joint venture  70 percent owned by Schweppes through Beitbridge Juicing Company and 30 percent held by ARDA  is also eyeing exports to Tanzania.
He said ARDA also anticipates getting an investor for its 500-hectare Honde Valley tea estate.
Nyabadza highlighted the parastatal’s plans to act as guarantor for loans to be availed to undercapitalised commercial farmers under a tripartite arrangement targeting large scale commercial farmers who have resources to support irrigation on their farms.
Farmers targeted under the scheme are those who own a minimum of 200ha with water sources on or close to their farms.
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