THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA)’s subsidiary Best Fruit Processors (Private) Limited (BFP) is fast emerging as a flagship of agro-industrial revival, as Zimbabwe’s push towards agricultural industrialisation is gaining momentum.
With ARDA turning rural communities into centres of value-driven growth by bringing processing closer to production zones and aligning agriculture with Vision 2030 and the export agenda, the Norton-based plant (BFP) is at the heart of this transformation.
In an update by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, ARDA Director for Commercial Services, Mr Dominic Sadziwa said the plant anchors production across several provinces.
“It also guarantees farmers a reliable market, with capacity to process at least 100 000 kilogrammes of tomatoes, guava and mangoes per day. Linked through village business units and out-grower networks in Zaka, Bikita, Wedza, Mhondoro and Zvimba, smallholder farmers are directly integrated into formal value chains producing tomato paste, fruit pulp and juice drinks for local and regional markets,” he said.
He said the expansion into beverages deepens value retention, secures demand for farmers’ produce and positions Zimbabwe as a competitive agro-processor.
The Norton plant currently employs about 100 workers, with the workforce expected to double as value-addition lines expand, demonstrating how ARDA’s rural industrialisation model anchored in the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) priorities, is translating into jobs, incomes and sustainable national wealth.
ARDA is a Government parastatal, under the now Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, created by an Act of Parliament, The ARDA Act 18:01 of 1982.
The establishment of ARDA was preceded by the merger of three pre -independence era organisations namely: Sabi Limpopo Authority (SLA), Tribal Trust Land Development Corporation (TILCOR) and the Agricultural Development Authority (ADA).
The merger was necessitated by the need to create a perpetual buffer between Zimbabweans and hunger through an institution that would guarantee food security in Zimbabwe.
In line with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and pursuant to Vision 2030, ARDA is driven by new thrust to achieve National Food, Feed, Fibre, Biofuels and Seed Security.-herald
