Mnangagwa commissions Delta Beverages plant

By Alois Vinga

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa Thursday toured the Delta Beverages factory where he commissioned and unveiled a plaque for the Sparkling Beverages Coca Cola Line.

The country’s leading beverages manufacturer is working on a capacity utilisation drive which has seen the coming on board of the sparkling beverages line; new state-of-the-art returnable glass packaging line installed at Southerton Brewery as well as the newly built Chibuku Super plant and factory upgrade at Harare Sorghum Brewery along Plymouth Road.

Mnangagwa expressed gratitude to the company’s bold steps to spur productivity output by religiously following a tightly knit investment plan.

“I was pleased to hear that the Company has, since 2017, invested more than US$169 million in modernising its manufacturing and bottling plants, distribution fleet, cold drink equipment and ancillary systems.

“This investment by Delta Corporation, which has been operating in the country for 125 years, demonstrates the confidence by players in the manufacturing industry in the business friendly policies being ushered in by the Second Republic.

“Your commitment and resilience in the food and beverages sector is commendable,” he said.

He implored the beverages manufacturer to continue increasing investments in such highly competitive soft drink and beverages sectors.

Mnangagwa applauded Delta Corporation for playing a role in the country’s economy by creating an estimated 5 000 jobs directly and many more indirectly as well as contributing significantly to the fiscus through excise duty, value added tax, income tax and PAYE.

He said such ventures are a clear testimony of the important role being played by your organisation in economic development through your out-grower programmes.

“I urge you to continue integrating marginalised communities in your value chain through your out-grower programme.

“Furthermore, you should continue to complement Government efforts in enhancing production and productivity in the agriculture sector by increasing your contract farming arrangements with local farmers,” he said.

The beverages manufacturer was urged to extend  contract farming arrangements to also cover maize, which ensures that the contracted farmers remain productive throughout the year.

“It is my hope that more companies in our productive sectors will adopt the contracting model to complement the various Government farming programmes currently in place,” added Mnangagwa.