eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
HARARE – Food, home and personal products manufacturer, Unilever Zimbabwe has temporarily halted the production of Sunlight Liquid citing foreign currency shortages.
This has resulted in the commodity disappearing from shelves in supermarkets, following a two week hiatus in its production.
Like any other industry in Zimbabwe, foreign currency shortages has had a knock on effect on operations, reducing capacity of firms.
But despite the foreign currency shortages and other economic challenges, Unilever Africa president Bruno Witvoet said his firm was prepared to grow the Zimbabwe market and ensure the country becomes an industrial hub of the region.
“Zimbabwe is strategically positioned, and it is our hope that we may help drive it into an export hub for the region, manufacturing goods for exports in the entire region,” he said during the commissioning of the firm’s Royco Usavi Mix plant.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Deputy Governor Dr Khupukile Mlambo said Government was cognizant of the foreign currency challenges various firms are facing due to the depleting nostro balances.
As such, he said efforts were being made to ensure availability of foreign currency for productive sectors to enhance their capacities while emphasising the need to increase exports, which are the country’s main source of foreign currency.
Unilever is one of the leading suppliers of food, home and personal care as well as refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and an estimated market base of $2, 5 billion consumers a day.
Its footprint dominates mainly the emerging markets and has operated in Zimbabwe since 1943 manufacturing products for both domestic consumption and the export market.
