By Ziyah News Reporter
Milk processing giant Dairibord Zimbabwe Private Limited has reiterated its commitment to the Zimbabwean market amid swelling rumours that the entity is on the brink of relocating to neighbouring South Africa.
The social media talk was swelled after some individuals got wind of and misconstrued Dairibord expansion into South Africa forcing one of the biggest company’s in Zimbabwe which has stood the test of time to respond.
“Dairibord remains firmly committed to its Zimbabwean roots and will continue to operate within the country. The company is investing in capacity enhancement to support its growth ambition. These investments are a clear demonstration of the company’s confidence in its future, and unwavering dedication to serving the local and regional markets,” said Mercy Ndoro, the Chief Executive Officer of Dairibord.
CEO Ndoro took the opportunity to clarify the issue that gave birth to the divesting rumour indicating people misconstrued her company’s expansion to mean its leaving Zimbabwe.
“The position is that Dairibord has a longstanding history of successfully exporting its heritage brands to South Africa and other regional markets, failing to meet demand. Resultantly, Dairibord has initiated strategies to optimise supply and distribution channels in South Africa. The intention is to replicate this model in adjacent markets such as Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique. This will increase the company’s foreign currency generation capacity which will not only benefit the company, but also the country at large. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) makes regional positioning a major strategic priority,” she added.
Dairibord Zimbabwe is the largest milk processing company in the country and it works with small and large-scale farmers to grow raw milk as part of the country’s import substitution strategy.
The company receives and processes about 40% of the national raw milk produced, subsequently manufacturing a wide range of products from its four plants in Chitungwiza, Chipinge, Harare Simon Mazorodze and Harare Rekayi Tangwena.