Agro-industrial giant National Foods has commissioned three brand-new production plants in Harare, marking a significant pivot from primary grain processing to high-value food manufacturing.
The project with a total investment of US$22.7 million includes new pasta, biscuit and breakfast cereal facilities was officially launched today by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“Basically, the purpose of today is that we are touring three brand new plants which are being commissioned. The first is a pasta plant, the second is a biscuit plant, and the third is a breakfast cereal plant across our sites. These are all new businesses for National Foods,” said National Foods CEO Mike Lashbrook.
The company, long established in the flour, maize meal and animal feed sectors is now moving up the value chain by transforming raw grains into finished food products.
“Flour leads to pasta and biscuits, maize meal leads to breakfast cereals it’s all value addition of locally grown grains,” Lashbrook said.
The new facilities boast impressive production capacities: the pasta and biscuit plants can each produce two tonnes per hour, while the breakfast cereal line can produce 1.3 tonnes per hour.
The new operations are also set to reduce the country’s dependency on imported food products.
“A lot of these plants will be replacing product that’s currently imported into the country. So, not only are we benefiting local farmers, but we’re also substituting imports,” said Lashbrook.
In his address President Mnangagwa hailed the investment as a major step toward achieving food security and economic self-sufficiency.
“The completed facility reflects the visionary leadership and work culture here at National Foods, along with the corporate prudence that has seen such a strategic investment. This marks a new chapter in the food processing subsector, driven by innovation, and technology.
“This production facility is a beacon of efforts towards economic development and industrialisation. It embodies our collective ambition of building a self-reliant and prosperous Zimbabwe, sector by sector,” said President Mnangagwa
The facilities are strategically located: Stirling Road hosts the flour-related pasta and biscuit plants, while the breakfast cereal plant is based at Aspindale alongside maize milling, stock feed, and rice packing operations.
