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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief

INDUSTRY and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu yesterday commissioned a new DCK bakery and maize milling plant in Gweru, one of the successful local investments meant to break the monopoly in bread production.

The investment buttresses Government’s drive to resuscitate indigenous bakeries, which use locally produced wheat and other ingredients to ensure production of affordable bread on the market. Through such initiatives, the country is expected to reduce spending on imported wheat. About US$20 million is spent monthly in wheat imports. 

Addressing delegates who witnessed the event, Minister Ndlovu said the resuscitation of small-scale bakeries would break the monopoly, which has seen a few players dominating the bread industry leading to the exploitation of consumers. He said DCK investment had proved that it was possible to produce quality bread with 100 percent locally-grown wheat, a development that is expected to cut on the wheat import bill.

“To DCK, I want to commend you for demonstrating that where there is a will, there is a way. All along we were being told that local wheat doesn’t produce good quality bread but you have shown us that it is possible,” he said. 

“This means if we open a lot of these bakeries in our communities, we can be able to cut the US$20m needed to import wheat every month.

“We all know that currently, the milling and baking industries are dominated by big companies. The entry of other players like DCK will therefore serve to break existing monopoly with resultant benefits to the consumer.”

The development comes after President Mnangagwa recently said Government was committed to addressing price distortions in all sectors of the economy. The President stressed the need to re-open small-scale bakeries to offer service to locals at low cost of transport, among others, to ensure that the price of bread was affordable.

As such, Minister Ndlovu said the two DCK investments dovetail with the new thinking in Government of establishing such ventures in the community so that products are near the customer and also as a way to cut on transport costs as well as generating employment for locals.

He said Government was seized with the economic challenges being faced by the people like the rise in prices of basic commodities. 

Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Larry Mavima, speaking at the same event, said Zimbabweans should work together for socio-economic development of the country. 

“Government cannot go it alone and therefore the call for every patriotic Zimbabwean to come on board in any way that can create employment or cheap products for our people. DCK is commended for entering this sector, which had for long been a monopoly of big companies and we hope it will result in the breaking of the monopoly in this industry,” he said.

DCK’s loaf of bread costs RTGS$2.50. 

“When we have cheap bread at DCK, why then should we be held to ransom and purchase bread at ZWL$3,50. It doesn’t make sense. Here we have DCK maize milling plant and bakery commissioning, which is a welcome development for our province and country at large,” said Minister Mavima.

DCK managing director, Mr Douglas Kwande, said his company had one sole purpose of availing affordable products on the market. 

“Bread and mealie-meal should be cheap and should be found on time every time. As an entrepreneur my job is to solve problems. In this case we are now producing over 27 000 loaves of bread everyday and plans are underway to open a new bakery in Kwekwe in the coming month,” he said.

Mr Kwande also said Zimbabweans must assist Government in contributing to socio-economic development. 

“As Zimbabweans we can do it. It’s high time we do away with looking for external people to solve our problems,” he said.