Story by Ray Bande - Manica Post
THE Artificial Intelligence (AI) Powered Smart Silos at the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Mutare Depot are 98 percent complete, with outside paving and test run the only outstanding works ahead of their commissioning by President Mnangagwa next week.
This was revealed during a tour of the facility by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka yesterday (Thursday).
Minister Masuka was accompanied by the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, the contractor and senior officials from the ministry. He said the President is expected to commission the silos next Wednesday.
“We are inspecting Mutare AI Powered Smart Silos ahead of the expected commissioning by His Excellency President, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa in the near future, perhaps on October 29, which is next Wednesday. These smart silos are 98 percent complete, and what is just left is the outstanding paving work and just to completely test run the whole plant. So we should be ready, and we are expecting a very big crowd to celebrate this transformation in the agricultural sector,” said Minister Masuka.
He said the other 12 AI Powered Smart Silos will be constructed in different areas across the country in the next two years, with Mhangura being the next in line.
“The President has instructed that we do 14 sites. He commissioned the Kwekwe silos on May 15. Mutare is expected to be next, then we go to Mhangura. After that, we go to Mvurwi and many others. So the 14 sites will be complete in the next two years,” said Minister Masuka.
President Mnangagwa commissioned AI silos at Kwekwe, and the ones at GMB Mutare Depot are a replica of those in Midlands. The modern facilities include dust extractors and an inbuilt 100-tonne-an-hour dryer, depending on the moisture content at intake. The seven silos have a carrying capacity of 8 000 metric tonnes each, bringing the total to 56 000 metric tonnes per facility.
Part of the completed works includes installation of the silos, the drying tower, the cooling tower, the moisture control room, construction of the furnace room, the core warehouse, the dispatching room, as well as the power room. Minister Mugadza expressed optimism that a large crowd will be in attendance when the silos are commissioned.
Minister Mugadza said the construction of the silos aligns with the province’s growing agricultural output.
“With ongoing revamping of irrigation schemes and construction of more dams, agricultural productivity is expected to rise, making adequate storage facilities even more critical. We applaud President Mnangagwa for this initiative, and it will go a long way in ensuring food security. It is against this background that we are also expecting a huge crowd, mainly from Manicaland, to gather when the President comes down to commission these silos,” he added.
