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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has embarked on a goat breeding project in which it is targeting a herd of over 500 by end of next year.

The project is being undertaken at Aisleby Farm. In an interview, BCC economic development officer, Mr Kholisani Moyo, said the local authority exhibited the project at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) last week, alongside several other strategic business units.

“In 2019, we were still trying to start a goat project for the farm.

‘‘This project is now running and we now have more than 200 goats and by year-end next year, we should be reaching 500 or more goats,” he said.

“We are raising boer goats and we want to be the major suppliers of high breed goats, going forward.”
Under the project, Mr Moyo said they were breeding the goats to have improved breeds through cross-breeding.

The local authority is also ensuing other income-generating projects through its Strategic Business Units (SBUs).
Such SBUs include Ingwebu Breweries, Park Nursery and Caravan Park.

On Ingwebu, Mr Moyo said the municipal commercial undertaking has in recent times launched new products that include four flavors of amahewu.

Recently, Ingwebu introduced new product lines that include the 1,5 litre and 2-litre calabash of opaque beer before diversifying into mahewu production.

The development saw the beverages operation improving its capacity  utilisation levels to 95 percent last year from 65 percent.

Over the years, the brewery faced viability concerns underpinned by falling demand for its traditional products and the high cost of operating antiquated equipment. These negatively impacted on its ability to contribute revenue to the local authority.

Ingwebu was established in 1946 as a department of BCC and in 1996, council established a wholly-owned business entity called BMCU. — @okazunga