Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor

For a long time value addition has been part of Zimbabwe’s development language, embedded in major economic blue print and both short and long term goals.

But slow action and implementation emptied the true meaning of value addition and the ability of the government to deliver on the aspirations of rural people.

In short, value addition policies were wrapped in development language that was comforting and full of ‘feel-good’ rhetoric that had no practical evidence on the ground.

But now, things are changing and there is a significant difference on the ground and achievements in policies and actions on value addition plants in rural areas are being accorded greater attention.

President Mnangagwa has in recent months commissioned a number of value addition plants dotted in various parts of the country.

One such plant is a fruit and vegetable processing plant which was commissioned at Tabudirira Vocational Centre in Mutoko in Mashonaland East province. The plant was funded by the African Development Bank and offers major relief to local farmers who will now save on transport and accommodation costs since they were travelling to Harare markets to sell their produce.

Another value addition plant was also commissioned recently at Rutenga in Masvingo province as part of efforts to empower local communities and spur rural development. The establishment of the Marula/Mapfura Processing and Value-Addition Factory is largely seen as a landmark and game-changing investment that will drive rural development.

The $50 million plant is expected to rake in nearly $400 million seasonally from marula/mapfura processing and value addition.

Employment creation and income generation for local communities is a major plus for the value addition schemes.

The Rutenga plant is expected to create more than 100 direct jobs while over 30 000 households across rural Mwenezi will be indirectly employed through supplying mapfura fruit during the peak season for the fruit that runs from end of January to April.

Products from the plant such as juices, edible oils and stock feeds will be sold both locally and internationally, generating income for the locals and foreign currency for the country.

It is also encouraging that most of the country’s universities are also taking up value addition more seriously than before, with research and on-going work to create value addition plants through Innovation Hubs and Industrial Parks.

Value addition coupled with the political will and channelling of resources is now the guiding light of public action that aims to drive rural development.

Action on value addition is now restoring trust and laying bare a set of policies that foster the openness of government and initiatives to build a renewed and healthy relationship between the government and rural citizens who live in parts of the country where value addition has been elusive for decades.

It is heartening to note that the Second Republic is promoting rural devolution and entrepreneurship as the central force of economic growth and development.

Without the establishment of value addition plants and opening of other factories in rural areas, development will be wasted or frittered away.

Written policies on value addition are gaining traction and giving rural masses hope.

By adding to and capturing the value in commodities grown and processed locally, smallholder farmers, rural businesses and rural communities will benefit in numerous ways through job creation, improved livelihoods, new markets for agricultural commodities and more vibrant rural and provincial economies.

Government in partnership with development partners also set up the country’s first state-of-the-art amacimbi/madora processing plant in Matshiloni area in Beitbridge District, Matabeleland South.

This added to the Second Republic’s life-changing initiatives that aim to harness the country’s biodiversity through value addition and beneficiation.

The factory is equipped with modern machinery consisting of a washing machine, a dryer, a bleaching and packaging machine, which were sourced from China.

The AfDB injected $100 000 into various value addition plants in which the ILO is providing technical assistance.

Some of the value addition initiatives include amacimbi in Beitbridge, honey in Marondera and Lupane, artisanal gold ore milling in Guruve and horticulture in Mutasa, Chimanimani and Mutoko.

Most smallholder farmers are beginning to consider how they might reorganise their operations to tap into the value addition plants which are opening new opportunities.

Expanding local processing of agricultural products has been a rural development strategy that had been gathering dust for some time.

Now, Zimbabwe is moving towards action with more initiatives to promote value addition being explored.

These include — soybean crushing, flour and maize milling, sugar refining and numerous other products.

Enterprises are now being sited near the raw material source. The value – added agriculture of today is developing and moving in the right direction.

The value addition plants are reversing the economic stagnation of many rural areas, reducing rural unemployment, helping rural areas capture a larger share of national income and creating new sources of rural competitive advantage for the future.

Rural development is now more than ever before linked to entrepreneurship.

Zimbabwe has to continue firmly on this path to promote rural enterprises to create employment, prevent rural poverty, improve farmer earnings and livelihoods, promote self-reliance, and a reduced need for social support.

Above all, value addition enterprises will stand as a vehicle to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities and to sustain a healthy economy and environment.

It should also inspire the country to also diversify into non-agricultural uses of available resources such as catering for tourists, blacksmithing, carpentry, art and other money spinning ventures.

Zimbabwe is one of the most mega-biodiverse countries in the world and any efforts to find ways in which to harness the sector so that it can effectively contribute to economic growth are a welcome development.

This also extends to a diverse range of non-timber forest products, including oils, gum, waxes, edible and non-edible.

However, the value huge stocks of forestry and no forestry products that are traded in the informal sector such as mazhanje, marula, masau, baobab, natural honey, natural herbs and oils and a whole range of other plant and animal products is not known, yet it is quite significant in terms of volumes traded on the market.

And, the commissioning of a National Biodiversity Economy study recently by the Government and its development partners is a significant milestone for the country as it steps up efforts to harness the vast opportunities that the country’s biodiversity holds for economic growth and job creation.

For a very long time, there has not been any concerted effort to understand the value of the country’s biodiversity and how it can be used to transform the economy and unlock its value for the benefit of the country.