Tongaat Hulett Donates Molasses To Aid Drought-Stricken Masvingo Cattle Farmers
Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe (THZ) has donated 80 metric tonnes of molasses to be used to prepare supplementary cattle feed in Masvingo’s seven districts.
The donation is aimed at mitigating the devastating effects of the El Niño-induced drought in the region.
Commenting on the initiative, Dahlia Garwe, THZ’s Head of Corporate and Industrial Affairs, said that the programme is part of the company’s Socio-Economic Policy (SEP) to support local communities. Said Garwe (via The Mirror):
We have donated 80 metric tonnes of molasses to Masvingo districts through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Services (AGRITEX) targeting farmers in Bikita, Chiredzi, Chivi, Gutu, Masvingo, Mwenezi and Zaka.
The molasses will be used to prepare supplementary cattle feed. This is to assist farmers who are hard hit by El Nino induced drought and some of them are on the verge of losing livestock due to lack of feed.
One of the areas we focus on in the company’s Socio-Economic Policy (SEP) is community development so this donation fall under this.
We extended assistance to the communities in the district as relief to low cattle feed stock.
Chiredzi Rural District Council Chairperson, Aspect Mashingaidze, commended the sugar-producing company for the donation. He said:
We are grateful, my ward received a consignment of molasses from Tongaat. THZ has rendered a helping hand whenever it is needed.
Molasses is a thick, dark brown by-product that is left over after sugarcane is processed to extract their sugar.
It is a viscous, sweetened and slightly acidic syrup that is a common ingredient in many foods and animal feeds.
It is used to add palatability, bind ingredients together, and provide nutritional value as an energy source for livestock.
In May this year, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere said that the El Nino-induced drought had claimed close to 10 000 cattle countrywide in the 2023-2024 farming season and the most affected areas are in Matabeleland North and South provinces.
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