ZAMBIA – Star Milling Company will spend US$20 million on constructing a milling plant in Ndola and the development will create about 300 jobs.
This came to light after Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo conducted a tour of the plant currently under construction.
“This one is about 250 metric tonnes [capacity plant], which is an investment of US$20 million. We are expecting to commission by end of September,’’ company chief executive officer Mohamed Hassan said last week.
Mr Hassan said the company decided to set up a milling plant on the Copperbelt to also cater for Luapula and North Western provinces.
He said the milling plant will have the capacity to produce between 6,000 and 7, 000 of 25 kilogrammes (kg) of both breakfast and roller meal respectively in a day.
“We are supplying all the supermarkets. When they tell us to take the mealie-meal to Luapula or Solwezi, it will be costly to transport the commodity.
“Between 200 to 300 people will be employed [at the plant] while the company has 180 existing employees in Lusaka. The contractor on site is doing a commendable job and that the works will be completed on time,” he said.
Mr Hassan said the company has started buying maize from the local farmers after Government announced the Food Reserve Agency price of K60, 00 for 50 kg of maize.
And Mr Lusambo said Government is excited to have such huge investment in the province.
“The US$20 million investment will mean that the economy of Ndola will boom as the town will benefit in that most of the people who will be employed are those based on the Copperbelt Province.
“For us as Government, we want to encourage more investors to come and invest in the province. We need more investment like the one we are witnessing today,’’ Mr Lusambo said.
August 10, 2017: Daily Mail
