The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
CONSTRUCTION of a baobab juice manufacturing plant at Mutare Teachers’ College — a pricey business investment that dovetails into the Education 5.0 thrust — is now complete and the project awaits official commissioning.
The project intends to tap into the availability of different varieties of fruits in Manicaland for value addition and beneficiation.
When contacted for a comment, Mutare Teachers’ College principal, Mr Abison Mutubuki was non-committal and referred all questions to the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza.
“We give all such updates to the Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs and Devolution’s Office, so get it from there,” said Mr Mutubuki.
Manicaland provincial director for economic affairs and investment promotion, Mr Munyaradzi Rubaya said the project is 99 percent complete.
He said only some small logistical issues are still outstanding.
“From the last visit we had, the project was 99 to 100 percent complete.
“The only thing that was outstanding was the installation of a power back-up generator as well as paving of the surroundings to prevent dust. When the people deliver raw materials or collect the finished products, dust should not be raised.
“The actual plant is now operational, but there are certain legal requirements, including SAZ and health issues that are still being finalised,” said Mr Rubaya.
The college, which has been championing several income generating projects that include piggery, fishery, garments and poultry among others, is set to become the first among teacher training institutions to establish a business initiative of the magnitude of the juice production plant.
The juice manufacturing plant was imported from China at a cost of US$126 000 and is awaiting official commissioning.
Apart from the baobab juice which is the main product earmarked for the project, the hybrid plant is also expected to process other fruit juices that include loquat, mango and pineapple as well as produce mineral water.
The 2 000-litre per hour versatile production plant, in no sequential order, has a cooling section, the automated filling and capping machine which operates without human interference, bottle blowing machine, a cap sorter, buffer tanks, water storage tanks, purifying components, inverted conveyor, mixing tanks, Cleaning in Process (CIP), Ultra High Temperature (UHT- for pasteurisation), cartooning section, laminating sections in the exit points.
