- PHI, has invested US$10.4 million for the 2024/25 cropping season
- The investment aims to secure raw material requirements and contribute to national food security
- Three-Part Strategy: Corporate farming ,Agrowth contract farming and Marketing of key commodities
Harare-Innscor Africa, the largest food processor in Zimbabwe, through its agricultural unit PHI, has made a significant investment of US$10.4 million for the 2024/25 summer cropping season.
The primary aim of this initiative is to secure the group’s raw material requirements while actively contributing to national food security. This investment not only enhances local agricultural capacities but also supports the broader economic landscape in Zimbabwe.
“Innscor Africa’s investment in Zimbabwean agriculture is through PHI, whose aim is to secure the group’s raw material requirements while contributing to national food security,” the group stated.
The group includes the National Foods Flour Division, Maize Milling Division, Stock Feeds Division, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Division, Profeeds, Probrands, Irvine’s, The Buffalo Brewing Company, and Colcom.
It is the largest buyer of local maize, soya products, and wheat, utilizing a substantial volume of locally produced sorghum, sugar beans, and popcorn.
In support of the government’s stated aim of encouraging local processors to support the production of their raw material requirements, PHI is driving a three-part strategy to secure locally produced commodities, which includes corporate farming, Agrowth contract farming, and the marketing of key commodities.
PHI has invested in a corporate farming model, focusing on the production of 3,000 metric tonnes of soya beans in the 2022/2023 summer season.
The entity manages the Agrowth Contract Farming scheme, which financed farmers to grow over 60,000 metric tonnes of wheat in 2022 and is targeting a similar hectarage of these crops in the current summer season.
Through increased liberalization of the marketing of key commodities, PHI purchases maize, soya beans, and wheat from other registered contractors on behalf of the group companies.
The program has consistently been the largest private sector contractor under the Food Contractors Association (FCCA).
The contribution of the FCCA to the national crop requirements is acknowledged by the government, and FCCA is targeting the cultivation of 25 000 hectares in the 2025-26 winter season to meet the industry’s requirement of between 250 000 and 300 000 tonnes annually.
PHI has also invested in a Livestock Division that manages a fully integrated beef operation, slaughtering an average of 2,500 head of cattle per month, which are purchased from local producers and fattened internally.
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