LEADING oil processing giant company, Castor Oil, has embarked on a programme to support small-scale and commercial farmers in growing the essential castor beans crop, which the firm believes has a potential to boost Zimbabwe’s fuel capacity.
In an interview with NewsDay Business yesterday, Castor Oil Zimbabwe chief executive Careen Yosef said the conglomerate was willing to support more farmers in the country who were willing to specialise in engineered castor beans production.
At the moment, we have over 400 small-scale farmers in rural areas who took up castor bean (farming), with 150 commercial famers already having started haversting,” she said.
Yosef revealed that castor bean takes at least four months from germination to harvesting, which makes brisk business for farmers specialising in growing it as they will rake in income three times a year.
Castor Oil has already set up a processing plant in Marondera, where they produce bio-diesel from the castor bean and hope to scale up production if more farmers start growing the crop.
