One of Zimbabwe’s biggest employers of labour, Tongaat Hullet has had its operations renewed with additional 20 years in a deal to finalise a 99-year lease to the company.
With over 20,000 employees, the firm owns sugar cane fields in Hippo Valley and Triangle, Chiredzi which stretch for over 25,000 hectares.
It also owns a sugar cane plantation at Mwenezana in Mwenezi which stretches for over 4,000 hectares.
In its 2021 annual report, Tongaat Hullet’s chairperson, Canaan Dube said the government recently granted a renewed license among other prospects.
“The company has also had its sugar milling license renewed for another 20-year period ending December 2040. These positive actions from government provide further condense and stability to the operations.
“Provisionally, an institutional offer letter was issued by government, whilst the requisite physical planning and administrative processes are nearing completion, paving way for the issuance of the 99-year lease,” he said.
Dube added that, in partnership with the government and local banks considerable work had been done on a 4,000-hectare cane development project popularly known as Project Kilimanjaro being undertaken by Tongaat Hullet.
“To date total of 2,700 hectares of virgin land has been bush-cleared and ripped, out of which 562 hectares was planted to sugarcane.
“As previously reported, project works were slowed down on account of delays in obtaining the requisite funding from financial institutions pending further clarity on land tenure, both of which are being progressed,” he said.
He said to ensure efficient utilisation of the cleared land, the 76 hectares and 750 hectares were put to maize and sorghum farming in the interim. An additional 902 hectares of maize was planted on company fallow cane land as a break crop.
Dube said this has helped to maximise land use and further enhance food security in the region. The company said on food security initiatives, it is committed to continue partnering with the government.
