THE Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has upped its milling capacity and will be able to satisfy local demand on the back of a successful agricultural season.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
GMAZ chairperson, Tafadzwa Musarara yesterday said because millers had pre-bought wheat and maize under the government-supported command agriculture programme, milling capacity had risen from below 50% to 87% for mealie meal and 93% for wheat.
Musarara was speaking at the official handover of over 100 tonnes of milling products, which included maize meal, flour and peanut butter, to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa in Harare.
“In terms of capacity utilisation, we are currently on 87% for maize meal, on flour we are on about 93%. We are grateful to the government for command agriculture that has made us get the adequate maize and wheat stocks that we need,” he said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa was behind command agriculture during his tenure as Vice-President.
GMAZ said it was now getting a dollar for every tonne of maize milled and $2 for wheat from its members, money that would be donated towards efforts by the First Lady to help feed the underprivileged and the sick in government hospitals.
The goods donated to Auxillia were handed over to Mutoko Leprosy Centre, Manhinga Orphanage School and 10 government hospitals, which Musarara said would be fully fed by GMAZ for the next 12 months.
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Auxillia, in handing over the donations, said she was humbled by GMAZ’s response to her calls to improve the lives of the less privileged in society, saying no person was a lesser human being.
“I used to call Musarara, who I was talking to on the phone, so that they could chip in and help the needy. At times I would call around 11 at night, only to realise that it was late, but that passion that I had drove me to keep knocking,” she said.
Auxillia has been criss-crossing the country raising awareness on the less fortunate and calling on the corporate world to chip in and help provide some comfort to the needy.
