Paper manufacturing sector appeals for help Paper manufacturing

Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter
THE paper manufacturing and packaging sector has appealed to the Government to avail land for its members to participate in domestic production of raw materials and fine-tuning foreign currency disbursements to promote value addition and substitution of imports.

Ms Kudzai Dave of K Dave Packaging says the country has enough land to produce its own raw material for the paper industry.

At the moment a lot of foreign currency is being pumped out of the country raw buying material, which can be produced in the country, she said.

K Dave Packaging

“We are appealing for land to put our own paper plantations and industry development as this will help to reduce the import bill. Right now, we are all taking raw materials from one source in South Africa,” said Ms Dave

“During times of electricity shortages, we use generators, which sometimes pollute our environment and increase the cost of doing business. But if we get access to land, we can put our own solar farms.”

Ms Dave said the most important thing was value chain resuscitation, which requires the sector to invest in plantations and then do their own conversion to paper and then into their own final products.

Ms Kudzai Dave

She bemoaned lack of finance structures that prioritise the sector. Despite challenges, Ms Dave said Zimbabwe has a very conducive environment to do business as it is peaceful.

“The country allows us to generate our own raw materials base for our own needs and we have a ready and hungry market for locally produced products,” she said.

“There is a gap to export locally manufactured products and build on relationships for re-engagement with the private sector and in regulatory matters so as to combat inflation and increase production.”

Ms Dave said the sector was eager to participate in the African Continental Trade Area and transform Zimbabwe into a raw material supplier by adding value, extracting higher rents from commodities and integrating into global value chain to promote diversification anchored in value addition and local content development. – @SikhulekelaniM1

You Might Also Like

Comments