Zimbabwe’s largest food manufacturer, National Foods Holdings Limited, has commissioned three new processing plants as part of a US$22.7 million investment, significantly expanding domestic capacity in cereals, pasta, and biscuits and strengthening the country’s push toward import substitution.
N expansion comes at a time when Zimbabwe continues to rely on imports for a range of processed food products, particularly wheat-based goods such as pasta. The new capacity directly targets these gaps, with the pasta segment emerging as a key focus area.
Chief Executive Officer Mike Lashbrook said demand has been strong, noting that the pasta line is “running near full capacity,” a development that has already begun to reduce imports in a market historically dominated by foreign supply. Zimbabwe consumes an estimated 5,000 tonnes of pasta per month, the majority of which has been imported, while the new plant adds 1,200 tonnes per month in local production.
The cereal plant introduces additional scale in staple food processing, with capacity of 800 tonnes per month, supported by approximately 15,000 tonnes of maize annually.
This strengthens domestic value chains in a sector closely tied to food security and rural incomes.
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In the biscuits segment, the new line adds 1,300 tonnes per month, positioning the company to compete more directly with imported finished products and expand its footprint in the fast-moving consumer goods market.
A key feature of the investment is its linkage to agriculture. The pasta plant alone uses around 1,500 tonnes of locally grown wheat each month, while the company has contracted 4,500 hectares of wheat for the current season, with an expected harvest of 23,000 tonnes. As the country’s largest buyer of local wheat, National Foods plays a central role in supporting domestic production, particularly as Zimbabwe seeks to reduce reliance on imported grain.
Lashbrook indicated that further investment is planned, with a focus on expanding capacity and increasing uptake of locally produced raw materials.
This aligns with policy efforts to strengthen agro-processing and retain value within the domestic economy.
Zimbabwe’s wheat consumption remains structurally higher than local production, creating a persistent import gap.
Investments that increase local processing and support contract farming are therefore critical in narrowing this deficit, although long-term sustainability will depend on yields, irrigation capacity, and input costs.
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