National Foods reopens stockfeed plant

Since the plant was closed years ago, stockfeeds had to be transported from Harare, increasing the costs to customers in Bulawayo and Matabeleland.

 

The Bulawayo plant will supply a full range of products to depots in the area. It will have feeds for dairy and beef cows, chickens, pigs, horses, game animals, sheep, goats, dogs, rabbits and ostriches.

 

Speaking at the official reopening of the plant, Bulawayo governor Cain Mathema said he viewed this and the reopening last December of the National Foods flour mill, as a sign of the company’s confidence in the city’s future.

 

With much of the news about economic activity in Bulawayo of late being about companies closing down or relocating from Bulawayo to other centres, it was good to see at least one company reviving its operations in the city, the governor said.

 

Mathema said the expansion of production and reopening of closed plants by National Foods was good news for the country, since it was an indication of greater economic activity and an example of a local company expanding production.

 

“We all understand reasons behind the closing of your manufacturing plants in Bulawayo,” Mathema said.

 

“The period of severe economic recession the country went through as a result of sanctions, the absence of foreign currency in our banks and the collapse in the value of our local currency necessitated cutbacks in production by almost every manufacturer in the country.”

 

He said it was particularly pleasing to see one of the major local companies increasing production and being able to reopen some of the production plants it had closed down.

 

“Too many companies spend a great deal of time lamenting the difficulties they face rather than seeing these difficulties as challenges to be overcome,” Mathema added.