India’s Vagmi Cottons Limited, will immediately invest 7 million Million US Dollars this year to build a factory that would process 8,000 metric tonnes of cotton lint in the year 2019.
The company which has already acquired a 26 acre land in Mwembeshi area, Chiombo District, Central Province, will in 2020, evolve from cotton ginning to a full textile which will resuscitate the once vibrant textile industry in Zambia.
VAGMI Company Chief Executive Officer Amit Dwivedi says his company is also in talks with INDO Zambia Bank to study possibilities of a joint venture or leasing the defunct Kafue Textiles Company.
Mr. Dwivedi says his company further identified Boniface Daka from Lusaka’s Chawama area who has been fully sponsored and is undertaking a year long training programme in India focusing on factory engineering and operations management.
He says the company will engage 23, 000 cotton farmers from Mumbwa, Shibuyunji, Chipata, Petauke, Lundazi, Katete, among others, in the next two years.
This came to light when Zambia’s High Commissioner to India Judith Japijimpanga toured Vagmi Company Cotton Factory in Indore, in the Indian State of Madhya PradeshA.
The Chief Executive Officer says the company will be running an outgrower scheme where it will supply farmers with seed, chemicals, wool packs and that it will be the company’s responsibility to collect cotton from farming areas as it will procure an initial 15 trucks.
And Zambia’s High Commissioner to India Judith Kapijimpanga has noted with gratitude that Vagmi Company is happy with a clear policy direction by the Zambian Government of value addition, and especially that the Cotton Board of Zambia has a fixed cotton price for a win- win situation.
She says Zambia has reliable transport system, hospitable citizens, peaceful, reliable electricity supply, progressive legal and banking systems.
Mrs. Kapijimpanga says she is happy to note that Vagmi Cotton’s Company will also build houses for some Zambian staff running the factory.
She explains that Zambia has been yearning for the revamping of the textiles sector following the defunct Mulungushi and Kafue Texiles Companies.
This is contained in a statement made available by First Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian Mission in India, Bangwe Naviley.
Vey good…..I must say this woman in India works well.
Now GRZ must pass a SI to have all GRZ uniforms , work and school made in Zambia. On top of that GRZ must lay the groundwork by starting to train marchinists and other trades needed in a textile industry. We must not let this slip through were they bring their own workforce because of luck of trained artisans like what happened in the building industry.
You will now see the Chinese running to open a textile manufacturing base because the Indians have taken the incentive….
So long as Chinese high quality cheap imports are coming in this sector is not viable, the world ha moved on we can not be stuck with 1970s way of thinking….look at Rwanda the are training a whole generation how to code and have even launched a satellite to link up pupils in primary/secondary schools.
Vagmi Cottons is already established in Zambia from their website …I dont see what you are cheering about here is an ambassador excited about a company building houses for staff, why not just pay staff a decent wage.
We say to the PF ……put jobs in the country before your corruption.
Those finances of PF who are given contracts to import GRZ uniforms should be cut lose…..the last time PF and lungu spent $67 million to import ZAF uniforms, that was enough money to start making textiles in Zambia and provide jobs to thousands of Zambians….
I do not and will never trust Indians. The Chinese as crazy as they are, will even live in places you and I will not in Zambia. Goodness with the people of the Dragon, they actually build things. Why can we not have a Japanese firm invest in Zambia. Those are the investors you really want.
This is very good and hope we get more investment in this sector, China is very welcome and they excel at textiles. Moore, please more!!!