On 27th July, 2022, President Hakainde Hichilema officially commissioned the Kalene Hills Fruit Factory in Mwinilunga. At the occasion, Mr. Hichilema called for more factories to be opened in all 10 provinces of Zambia.
The installed fruit processing capacity of the factory is 24,000 metric tonnes per annum and is expected to provide 150 direct jobs, over 700 indirect jobs and has currently listed 1,500 small and medium scale outgrowers to supply feedstock.
During the event, the President said that only way to generate wealth and increase jobs was through value addition, especially in rural areas and that with the prudent use of resources, factories like Kalene Hills could be replicated in all provinces.
The fruit factory was was supported by Musika with US $120,700 courtesy of the Irish Aid ‘Making Agricultural Markets Work for Nutrition’ project. When he spoke at the event, Musika Managing Director Mr Reuben Banda said “The support was towards the procurement of a mobile fruit washing machine, a refrigerated truck, and a genset meant to service the aggregation centres established within the local communities.”
IDC Acting Group CEO Mr Henry Sakala said the factory was expected to assist cut fruit imports into the country and fill the nearly three decades void and facilitate Northwestern Province’s participation in the pineapple, mango, citrus and tomato value chain. IDC partnered with local institutional investors such as NAPSA and Workers Compensation Fund Control Board to finance the project while engaging local contractors for project management and on-site construction labour.
