Cut Rag Processors to Open Factory in Harare

Cut Rag Processors is poised to open a USD120 million tobacco factory in Harare, reports The Herald.

According to Managing Director Caillin Mellet, the company is currently training personnel.

“Our aim for this factory is not only for ourselves in terms of value addition to the economy but also for the people who work for us in terms of upscaling and teaching the people we have how to operate the world-class high-technological machinery,” he was quoted as saying.

The construction of the factory dovetails with Zimbabwe’s goal to extract more value from its tobacco industry.

Under the Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan, the government aims to create a $5 billion industry by 2025.

In addition to moving beyond exports of processed tobacco into value-added activities such as cigarette manufacturing, the plan seeks to boost production of alternative crops and increase their contribution to farmers’ income by 25 percent.

“This state-of-the-art factory I have just toured represents an important milestone in our efforts […] to grow and modernize Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry,” said Vice President Constantino Chiwenga during a pre-commissioning tour of the facility on July 10.

“Tobacco has long been a crucial export crop and economic driver for our nation. Through strategic investments in infrastructure technology and skills development, government is accelerating the transformation of Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry.”