Sable Chemicals readies to resume production

AMMONIUM Nitrate (AN) fertiliser manufacturer, Sable Chemicals Industries, expects to resume operations anytime this month as it gears for improved production ahead of the 2022/23 summer cropping season.

The fertiliser company is undergoing refurbishment of its plant in a bid to increase production to about 200 000 tons per year and be able to meet the country’s needs in a bid to reduce imports.

Sable stopped production early this year to pave way for the ongoing refurbishment exercise that is expected to be completed by December this year.

The Kwekwe-based company is retooling its plant after securing a US$11 million loan fund from Africa Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank) last year.

After the refurbishment project Sable Chemicals is expected to produce about 200 000 tons up from 50 000 tons of AN.

Chief executive officer, Mr Bothwell Nyajeka, said the rehabilitation process was going on well.

“The refurbishment programme is going on well and most of the plants are already completed. We are, therefore, expected to start production anytime this month,” he said.

Mr Nyajeka, however, said the refurbishments were expected to be complete by year-end although production would have kickstarted.

“We are commencing production for the summer season this September and we are in liaison with all our stakeholders including Zesa to ensure that once we start there will be no disruptions,” he said.

Revitalising the local fertiliser industry is part of Government measures to accelerate the implementation of the Five-Year Fertiliser Import Substitution Roadmap implemented in 2020 up to 2024.

Sable Chemicals is set to create employment after the refurbishment exercise compounded by its expansion programme that will see the company venturing into dairy production, solar plant and sanitiser manufacturing.

The company, which has 300 workers, is also working towards venturing into the dairy sector and construction of a solar plant to address power shortages.

If successful, the 400MW solar plant will be able to power the electrolysis plant as well as feed into the national greed.

Sable Chemicals switched off its electrolysis plant in 2015 as a way of preserving power and feeding more power into the national grid.

“We are working very closely with the Government so that we can access land for both the dairy project as well as the solar plant. We are also in constant touch with funders as we continue mapping the best way forward for the projects to succeed,” said Mr Nyajeka.

Sable Chemicals is expected to produce 120 000 metric tons of fertiliser in the 2022/23 farming season as plans to scale up local production are in full swing.

The Sable Chemicals plant

The import substitution roadmap largely focuses on ramping up production at Sable Chemicals and Chemplex Phosphate to reduce fertiliser imports.

In a good season, the country requires about 600 000 tons of fertiliser while basal compound fertilisers constitute 350 000 tons with the remainder being AN.-chronilc.o.zw