Cash-strapped National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has invited bids from potential partners to form joint venture farming activities on its underutilised agricultural plots in order to earn additional revenues.
NRZ is one of many State-owned enterprises that own pieces of land throughout the country and carries out agricultural activities.
“Tenders are invited for agricultural joint venture partnerships at the following agricultural plots; Bindura Long Acres and Melfort Estate,” said NRZ, inviting bids.
NRZ public relations manager Fanuel Masikati said the company intends to ensure full use of farms and in the process earn additional revenues.
“The two farms we have advertised are the only ones we have put on offer for joint ventures. We want to ensure the farms are operational,” said Masikati. “Some of the funds would be used to service our properties.”
It could, however, not be immediately established how many farms NRZ has.
The two farms that have been put on offer are Melfort Estate located 40km outside Harare and Bindura Long Acres just outside Bindura town.
Melfort Estate is said to be ideal for horticulture, piggery, poultry, fisheries and apiculture. It has perennial surface water supply, but would require setting up of production infrastructures.
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According to the tender notice, Bindura Long Acres has no surface water and may require the drilling of boreholes and setting up of production infrastructure.
State Enterprises and Parastatals minister Gorden Moyo recently said the government was considering unbundling NRZ into two companies in a bid to revive the fortunes of the troubled entity.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Commercialisation and Privatisation of State Enterprises and Parastatals recently agreed to unbundle the NRZ.
One of the resultant companies will be managed by the government while the other would be administered by the parastatal with the assistance of a strategic partner.
NRZ, like most State-owned enterprises, has been struggling to remain viable owing to vandalism of infrastructure and shortage of human capital.
