Mishma Chakanyuka, Staff Writer 
TANGANDA Tea Company (Tanganda) is warming up to the idea of introducing solar-powered irrigation at its tea plantations following installation of three solar plants with a combined capacity of 4,4 megawatts (MW) meant to alleviate its huge energy bill.
The company, which also produces coffee, macadamia nuts and avocados has been grappling with rolling electricity supply disruptions affecting the entire country and has had to rely on diesel-powered generators to sustain production albeit at a higher cost.
Tanganda has solar plants installed at Ratelshoek Estate generating 1,8MW, Jersey Estate generating 1,4 MW and Tingamira Estate generating 1,2 MW.
In an interview with The Financial Gazette, Tanganda chief executive, Timothy Fennell said reliance on petroleum-powered generators as a stop-gap measure to irrigate tea was not viable.
“Going forward, with solar on hand and the availability of reasonably priced power, we are going to revisit the idea of irrigating the tea,” Fennell said.
“Without solar and relying on Zesa and diesel, irrigating tea was not viable, but with reasonably solar power, the whole system changes and it’s now viable to do so and we will be investing in that.”
In its 2023 annual report, the group used 1 003 288 litres of diesel and 261 130 litres of petrol during the year to power its standby generators.
Fennell said the installed solar plants have built resilience for the group in light of the adverse impact of the El Nino phenomenon on agriculture giving it an edge over its competitors.
“As you know Zimbabwe has been through some terrible power times, especially with Lake Kariba almost empty. From the perspective of the solar initiatives, we have spent in the last four years, in a region of about US$4 million top of range irrigation and that has helped us this year, particularly in the high-value crops like avocado, macadamia and coffee,” he said.
Meanwhile, the company’s packed tea exports into the region grew by 100 percent for the quarter that ended December 31, 2023, attributed to the company’s penetration into new markets such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Sustainable market diversification will continue to be pursued to expand the regional market,” Tanganda said in a trading update.
The group said the late onset of the rains adversely impacted bulk tea production resulting in a 19 percent decline in volumes to 1 986 tonnes compared to 2 443 tonnes produced in the prior year.
Tanganda said despite the decline in production, bulk tea export volumes grew by 18 percent to 1 274 tonnes from 1 076 tonnes achieved in the previous year owing to improved logistical arrangements for more export shipments.
