By Staff Reporter

FERTILISER producer, Sable Chemicals is set to diversify into agro-processing with an eye on servicing the Midlands province.

Speaking at the company’s plant in Kwekwe this week, Sable Chemicals chairperson Shingi Mutasa said the company has decided to diversify into the agro-processing sector.

“For a very long time, we looked at Sable purely from the production of fertiliser, but we have come to realise that Sable is going to become the hub of industrial agro-processing of the Midlands province over the next 5 to 10 years.

“We will become one of the biggest dairy producers of the region.

“We are looking at other agro-processing at Sable Chemicals,” Mutasa said.

He said it was incumbent upon an agriculturally inclined country like Zimbabwe to be inward looking and start making agro-products of its own.

“As a country, we have to stop trading and start producing our own products and when we have capacities like Sable Chemicals, we must utilise it completely,” he said.

Mutasa further said the company was looking into ways of nitrogen increase in the country.

“As Sable Chemicals, we are looking at various ways of increasing production of nitrogen into this country.

“There is the Inviticus Muzarabani Nitrogen Gas, there are other coal bed methane initiatives and also the ability to convert coal into gas. All of these will push our country to be the net exporter of fertiliser in the sub region,” he said.

Currently, Sable Chemicals, according to Mutasa has capacity to produce 240 000 tonnes of fertiliser.

“If we were working well as an economy, there will not be need to import any nitrogen into our country.

“In the next two to three years, we will be producing to that scale. Our country needs more than 240 000 tonnes,” he said.