Call for guava beneficiation plant
SAMUEL NJINGA
Government should consider constructing a guava processing plant in Zaka district, Masvingo Province, to take advantage of the unutilised guava forests in the area, representatives of the community have said.
Ward 4 councillor Moleen Chikwenhere said the district remains one of the leading with a vast amount of natural resources that lie idle and there was need for government intervention in the full utilisation of these natural resources.
“We have been making frantic efforts to make sure that the authorities set us standards for value addition as far as these guavas are concerned,” Chikwenhere said.
Zaka West MP Orphias Murambiwa said plans for value addition were underway.
“We are fighting tooth and nail to make sure that value addition is in place. I am sure you agree with me that this is not a one day thing but very soon we will be there given that it is a process. It will be for our advantage as we can also be in a position to export these beverages,” Murambiwa said.
Masvingo based food science expert Stanley Choruka said guavas were one of the cheapest resources that could be utilised to revive the economy.
“There is a need for increasing the output that we extract from the product. We can increase the output of the extraction of guava juice to an industrial level. We can amplify it by treating the pulp with pectin enzymes. This can be further processed and used in the form of concentrate, beverages and other products,” Choruka said.
“Guava juice can also be infused or blended with other fruit juices like pear, apple, mango and so forth. A good quality beverage can be prepared by using 25% juice as well as 0.5% acidity. Guava powder can also be used for the preparation of beverages.”
Recently, the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa said there was need to embrace value addition and beneficiation of the guava product.
The guava fruit is rich in vitamin C. The fruit can also be squashed to produce homemade jelly and juice. This is done by extracting the fresh fruit by squeezing. This is then mixed with the guava pulp and diluting it with water.
Research has shown that in the international markets the demand for coloured pulp guavas is tremendously increasing. The pulp is extracted from guava fruits by blending the cut pieces of fruits with water.
