The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
THE Ministry of Women and Youth Affairs is working on setting up an amacimbi processing plant in Beitbridge, Matabeleland South Province as part of efforts to add value to the edible caterpillars as it moves to create various income generating projects in communities.
Women and Youth Affairs Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said plans were underway to establish an amacimbi processing centre so as to enable communities to benefit more from natural resources within their confines.
“We were in Matabeleland South Province this week (last week) where we are in the process of setting-up a mopane worm (amacimbi) processing plant. Our intention is to have women participating and actively involved in various community projects drawn from various sectors of the economy such as mining, agriculture and food processing,” she said.
Minister Nyoni said the factory would be equipped with state-of-the-art processing and packaging equipment.
Amacimbi are found in abundance in Matabeleland South especially in Gwanda, Kezi, Mangwe, Beitbridge and Bulilima districts and are mostly collected from the wild.
It is estimated that a bumper harvest of 500 tonnes of amacimbi were collected in 2017, from areas that include Beitbridge, Bulilima, Gwanda, Kezi and Mangwe districts.
In Zimbabwe, amacimbi are a staple part of the diet and are considered a delicacy. They can be eaten dry, as crunchy as potato chips, or cooked and drenched in sauce and pack a serious nutritional punch, consisting 60 percent protein and high levels of iron and calcium.
“Mopane worms have the highest quality of protein they are very nutritious,” said Minister Nyoni.
Hundreds of people from various parts of the country have over the years besieged the province during the amacimbi season culminating in numerous socio and environmental challenges.
“We engaged the local leadership to put in place by-laws that prohibit the random harvesting of amacimbi especially by outsiders without authority,” said Minister Nyoni.
Gwanda Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Ronnie Sibanda said it was of paramount importance to add value to the amacimbi as well as to link those trading on the edible caterpillar to lucrative markets.
“There is a need to add value to the amacimbi so as to increase their shelf life as well as to link the collectors to a viable market. The quality of amacimbi from this area is very good and people from this part of the country are in the know of when to harvest, that is when they are mature,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said the local authority was working on a document aimed at coming up with by-laws, which would have provisions of curbing the wanton harvesting of amacimbi especially by outsiders.
“We are working on a by-law on natural resources management. We have it but we think it’s now archaic and as such we are remodelling it in-line with modern trends and to ensure locals benefit from their resources,” said Mr Sibanda.-@DNsingo
