The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Business Reporter
A Denmark based company has signed an agreement with Honde Valley Tea Growers Association to compliment Government’s efforts in boosting tea exports, rural industrialisation and value addition.
As a result, tea grown, processed and packaged by Honde Valley Tea Growers Association is expected to be on European shop shelves by early 2024.
In an interview with Post Business recently, Manicaland Provincial Development Officer, Mr Gabriel Jaji said Engineers Without Borders (EWB) will construct a tea factory with state-of-the-art machinery for Honde Valley tea growers.
He said the move will see locals exporting their products to foreign markets.
“Government is working towards uplifting tea growers and that is why we indentified this investor to support this project. The investor will bring in equipment which will allow farmers to process their produce instead of selling unprocessed products to big companies for a song.“At the moment, they are selling their raw tea to a company which is benefitting more than the farmers. It is not a win-win situation, but after the investment, we are looking forward to seeing processed tea from Honde Valley infiltrating export markets.
“The investment will also see these small-scale farmers being trained on how to access bigger markets and register their small businesses,” he said.
Mr Jaji said due to the development, an increase in tea production is expected as more farmers are likely to come onboard.
He said a group of tea farmers was recently sent to Kenya on a tour of similar projects that are under EWB.
“They were pleased with what they saw in Kenya. The Kenyan out-growers are now serious players on the international markets despite hailing from rural Kenya and previously not having enough resources,” said Mr Jaji.
Over the years, Honde Valley Tea Growers Association has been producing quality tea, but failing to secure great markets as local companies were taking advantage of the farmers.
Currently, tea farmers are being paid 10 cents or less per each kilogramme.
“Value addition will help our farmers to improve their livelihoods. We are anticipating that the project will employ more women and youths as we want to see the empowerment of the previously marginalised,” he said.
“In less than six months’ time, we will have taken delivery of the equipment. The engineers were in the province in May to have an appreciation on the type of equipment that is needed here, so they will design equipment according to our needs. They appreciated the farmers’ levels of production,” said Mr Jaji.
In a recent speech read on her behalf by The Director of Infrastructure Planning and Environmental Management in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr Timothy Rukuni, Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister, Honourable Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said with Honde Valley being the centre for commercial and agricultural marketing activities in Mutasa, the timing of the investment is perfect.
“The area is strategically located in a productive agricultural region and a home to many small-scale and subsistence farmers. It is therefore a strategic convergence for farmers and vendors who sell their products coming from surrounding areas. Honde Valley has great potential for industrial and residential productivity,” she said.
