National Foods elevates Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector with triple plant commissioning
The plants include a large-scale breakfast cereals extrusion plant, a biscuit manufacturing line, and a pasta facility.
ZIMBABWE – National Foods Holdings Limited has commissioned three new high‑technology production facilities at its Harare operations, marking a major expansion of its food‑processing footprint and strengthening the country’s domestic manufacturing base.
The company dedicated the plants to pasta, breakfast cereals and biscuits, with the pasta line already running close to full capacity as Zimbabwe seeks to cut its reliance on imported grain and processed foods.
The new pasta plant, costing US$6 million, is designed to produce roughly 1,200 tonnes of short‑cut pasta per month, largely using locally grown wheat.
This capacity is seen as crucial in helping to narrow the gap between domestic demand, reportedly around 5,000 tonnes of pasta per month, and the country’s current import‑dependent supply chain.
The business has become Zimbabwe’s largest buyer of local wheat, contracting about 4,500 hectares for the current season and expecting a harvest of roughly 23,000 tonnes to feed its milling and pasta operations.
The breakfast‑cereals plant has a monthly capacity of some 800 tonnes, with the unit expected to consume about 15,000 tonnes of locally produced maize each year, thereby supporting smallholder farmers and regional grain markets, and was established for US$7 million.
The biscuits line adds further scale to National Foods’ portfolio of branded snacks and staples, allowing the company to meet rising demand in urban and peri‑urban retail channels.
The biscuit manufacturing plant has a capacity of 1,300 tonnes of biscuits per month.
The newly established facilities, which embody a combined investment of US$22.7 million, form part of a larger US$50 million capital investment strategy implemented over the past five years, covering modern milling, extrusion and packaging infrastructure.
Chief Executive Officer Mike Lashbrook said the investments are beginning to yield measurable results, particularly in import substitution and capacity utilization.
“Driven by increased consumer demand, the pasta line is now operating close to full capacity,” Lashbrook said. “This has played an important role in reducing imports at a critical time for the economy.”
From a national perspective, the investments in the new lines are essential for import substitution. Zimbabwe was importing pasta worth around US$40 million per year, but can now produce it locally, thereby saving substantial foreign currency.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who presided over the commissioning ceremony, urged National Foods to expand its operations and exports, which already reach Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa.
National Foods has, for many years, acted as a guaranteed off-taker of grain from the PHIA Growth Contract Farming Scheme, purchasing between 80,000 and 100,000 tonnes annually from contracted farmers, a critical link in ensuring consistent market access for local producers.
Group CEO Michael Lashbrook said the company expected to invest further going forward, with these investments expected to increase demand for locally grown maize, wheat, and soya beans.
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