THE agriculture sector no doubt presents huge business opportunities for the country and giant fertiliser producer, Windmill Zimbabwe, says its quality services continue to profitably contribute to the success of its major customers.

For more than 20 years, the company has been a one-stop-shop for fertilisers, crop chemicals, specialty fertilisers, animal health, and stockfeed extensively distributed across the country through their network of stockists located in major farming areas.

Windmill’s high standing as a reliable and competitive supplier of top-quality products, owes much to the fact that the company has Zimbabwe as its home market.

With the headquarters at Westgate on the north western boundary of Harare, the company’s assets include two fertiliser manufacturing plants, bulk handling and bagging facilities and a crop chemical formulation plant as well as a stock feed plant, all in or close to Harare.

In Southern Africa and outside of South Africa, Windmill’s principal market is Zimbabwe while it exports its products mainly to Zambia and Malawi with a footprint also in Mozambique. Its long-term plan is to pursue opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola.

Windmill corporate communications officer, Ms Mascelyn Nyangoni, said their vison was to become the dominant supplier of selected agricultural inputs.

“Our vision is to become the dominant supplier of selected agricultural inputs in the Zimbabwean market and a major player in the Southern and Central African markets,” she said.

“As a manufacturer and distributor of granular and blended fertilisers and a wide range of straight fertilisers using domestically sourced nitrogen and phosphates, and imported raw materials, principally potassium chloride and potassium sulphate, Windmill remains a dominant player in Zimbabwean agriculture and will continue to be so.”

Ms Nyangoni said the organisation imports and markets specialty fertilisers principally for the horticulture market and some field crops. This is in addition to formulating a variety of specialty fertilisers and crop chemicals supplied by a number of the world’s leading principal companies.

“Windmill, thus, supplies a comprehensive package of fertiliser and crop chemical products to its customers. We are well above board and make consistent profits yearly despite forex challenges in the country,” she said.

“We want to be the number one agricultural provider in Southern Africa and ensure that every Zimbabwean has access to affordable, quality agricultural products.”

Among notable achievements, the organisation Windmill Zimbabwe has developed innovative products such as fertilisers compound DXtra 7:14;7 and compound CXtra 5:15;12, which have liming materials incorporated in them.

With Windmill being an established stock feed manufacturer that sells beef concentrates as well as phosphate licks for supplementary feeding of cattle in winter and summer, Ms Nyangoni said their aim was to provide long lasting solutions for farmers livestock.

“We also offer a wide range of poultry and pig feeds. As a retailer of animal health drugs and accessories, our product portfolio is marketed domestically by a dynamic countrywide marketing team while export business is handled by subsidiaries in Zambia and Malawi,” she said.

Given that all of the company’s sites are serviced by road and rail, customers are assured of efficient service and convenience.

In addition to being amongst the most intensive users of fertilisers and crop chemicals in the developing world today, Ms Nyangoni said Zimbabwean farmers were renowned for their discerning and innovative attitude towards fertiliser crop chemicals and stock feeds.

“With such knowledgeable and critical customers, and intense competition in the market place, Windmill has had to be continually alert to changing agricultural practices in terms of technology, marketing and packaging, in order to maintain its place in the market,” she said.

Operating in such an environment has enabled them to amass a wealth of agronomic, technical and marketing knowledge in the agricultural field that is invaluable to its customers. As such, Ms Nyangoni said both Zimbabwean and regional customers have reaped the benefit of the company’s accumulated expertise.

In order to consolidate market share, the business is deliberately expanding its presence to rural areas through a network of rural agro-dealers so as to ensure fertilisers and other agro inputs are readily available to all.

“Events such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) and the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show (ZAS) propel our business to greater heights. Windmill remains at the cutting edge of technological improvements and will continue giving farmers products and services in line with worldwide trends,” said Ms Nyangoni.

“Windmill offers high quality before and after-sales technical advice to all farmers, be they into crop farming or livestock. This is free of charge so that farmers fully benefit in line with our goals and objectives, in tandem with our vision and mission statement.

“Our aim is to maintain an overall market share at 40 percent and above while we strive to meet 100 percent of market demand for agro-chemicals, specialty fertilisers, animal health and stockfeed.”

Until 1970, the company was once a wholly owned subsidiary of Windmill Holland, a company whose history dates back to the 1920s.

The Zimbabwe company was originally set up in 1947 though production of granulated fertiliser that began in earnest in 1960 using a dry mixing and steam granulation process whereby imported powdered raw materials were mixed and granulated into a variety of compound fertilisers for the local market.