Bakhresa invests 20bn/- to double fruit juice production

DAR ES SALAAM: BAKHRESA Food Products (BFP) plans to double its fruit processing capacity in the coming financial year to meet the growing demand from both local and international customers.

The increase will see the company processing more than double the current volume of fruit annually, from 45,000 tonnes to 100,000 tonnes, marking a major step in its growth and contribution to the beverage sector.

Bakhresa Group’s Head of Public Relation, Mr Hussein Sufian said they are planning to invest some 20bn/- for the expansion of Mwandege Plant in Mkuranga, Coast Region to be completed at the end of this financial year.

“We believe by the end of this financial year, the expansion of the plant will be completed and we will be able to process about 100,000 tonnes of fruits per year,” Mr Sufian said on Monday during the launching of the new ‘African Fruti’ logo and package.

The firm invested some 12bn/-to refresh the packaging and logo of its African Fruit brand, including the installation of a new, modern packaging machine. BFP operates nine factories in Dar es Salaam and the Coast, producing a range of beverage products.

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Over the past two years, the company has invested approximately 200bn/- in renovating and expanding these facilities. BFP is a one of the subsidiaries of the Bakhresa Group, mainly manufacturing juices from mango, pineapple, orange, passion and tamarind fruits in its nine manufacturing plants.

Mr Sufian said currently the BFP provides a market to about 150,000 fruit farmers with the expansion poised to attract more people and has invested some 700bn/- since its creation.

Additionally, the firm paid some 180bn/- in terms of taxes last year and estimated to pay over 200bn/- in this year and has offered 2000 direct and 30000 indirect employments in form of vendors for its products, such as juice, soda, ice cream, soda and bottled drinking water.

The Minister for Industry and Trade, Dr Selemani Jafo, who graced the launching ceremony urged citizens to be proactive in supplying fruits required by the BFP’s processing plant.

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The minister also encouraged ‘wananchi’ to prefer local made goods as means of supporting the manufacturing sector development and assured manufacturers of the government support.

BFP is also exporting to countries like Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, Comoros, Madagascar, Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique, Yemen and China.