Mashonaland Tobacco Company (MTC) has invested $6 million in a new warehouse, following the inferno that gutted the old one in 2015.
BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
The tobacco processor and exporter’s warehouse caught fire in 2015 destroying inventory estimated at $15m.
MTC managing director Kenneth Langley told NewsDay that the warehouse that was destroyed by fire was very old and the company had found it prudent to construct a completely new structure.
“The warehouse which was burnt down was very old and was not user friendly, it’s one big warehouse with a bigger capacity than the old one in terms of the floor area. We invested $6 million on the new one,” he said.
Langley said the company has invested more in advanced fire protection to militate against an inferno in the future.
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“Going forward we have put much better fire protection,” he said.
MTC, which employs over 1 000 workers, is owned by American leaf merchant, Alliance One International.
MTC is among the biggest contract players in Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry. In the 2013/14 agriculture season it purchased $79,9m worth of tobacco from contracted grower.
According to statistics from Tobacco Industry Marketing Board, the company bought 26,7m kg of the golden leaf valued at $73m as of October last year.
This season, the company will commence buying of the golden leaf in Karoi and Mvurwi as part of the decentralisation of tobacco trading.