CSC re-opening to activate beef value chain

GOVERNMENT expects the recent re-opening of the refurbished Cold Storage Company (CSC) Boustead Beef Zimbabwe to re-activate the beef value chain and empower small-scale livestock farmers across the country.
Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, presided over the re-opening of the giant CSC factory in Bulawayo in August this year where he stated that the Government would not allow the company to collapse again.

Given its strategic positioning in the livestock, beef and leather value chain, hopes are high that the resumption of operations at the country’s largest meat processor and marketer, will boost Bulawayo’s economy and create job opportunities downstream.

Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, presided over the re-opening of the giant CSC factory in Bulawayo in August this year where he stated that the Government would not allow the company to collapse again.

The beef processing plant has been revamped after the Government in 2019 signed a US$400 million Joint Venture Farming Concession Agreement with Boustead Beef Zimbabwe, a United Kingdom-based investor.
Its re-opening is expected to bring economic boom across the value chain through value addition and farmers in the Matabeleland region and beyond now have readily available markets for their livestock.

Boustead Beef Zimbabwe

The livestock farmers also stand to benefit from possible contracts and ties with the firm.
Responding to questions from Chronicle, the Office of the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes said the re-opening of the company would strongly re-activate the beef value chain across the country.

“The CSC-Boustead Beef Zimbabwe re-opened on 18 August 2022 after 22 years of CSC closure, in line with the Agriculture and Foods Systems Transformation Strategy,” it said.
“The re-opening transforms the livelihoods of smallholder livestock farmers who contribute about 90 percent of the slaughter stock, mainly in the Matabeleland region.

“The re-opening of the company has re-activated the beef value chain across the country.”
Commenting, Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) executive director Mr Paul Zakariya said tangible benefits accruing from a fully functional CSC will include provision of livestock marketing opportunities, as well as reasonable prices to smallholder livestock farmers.

Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU)

“ZFU proposes that, in order to increase CSC capacity utilisation and improve the economic wellbeing of livestock farmers, farmers should be allowed to use their animals to buy stake in the entity,” he said.
“This will boost farmers’ confidence and create ownership that will result in increased output, as well as incomes to the most important stakeholders (the farmers).”

CSC used to play a leading role in the processing and marketing of Zimbabwe’s beef since its inception in 1937.

Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) executive director Mr Paul Zakariya said tangible benefits accruing from a fully functional CSC will include provision of livestock marketing opportunities, as well as reasonable prices to smallholder livestock farmers.

Before its closure, CSC used to export beef, sheep and goat meat to several countries but was forced to stop due to viability challenges it faced in recent years. — chronicle.c.zw