Heading into the festive season Parmalat launched a cheese processing plant that will enable the company to begin manufacturing cheese in Zambia. The factory was officially opened on 28^th November 2007.

Expressing delight at this development guest of honour deputy minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Daniel Kalenga, MP, said Parmalat is a company that plays a big role in the agriculture sector in particular the dairy industry in Zambia.

During the course of 2007 Parmalat made significant reinvestments to its operations, in addition to the cheese processing plant, Parmalat purchased a 1 litre tetra packing machine - the only one of its kind in Zambia. Parmalat also begun upgrading its Kitwe plant by installing additional sachet machines and bottle filler equipment which has enabled the plant to produce and pack fresh cream, in addition to is renowned Morning Fresh milk and Lacto mabisi brands.

In Livingstone, Parmalat opened a distribution center in order to provide timely services to its customers in the Southern region. The total cost of this investment made in 2007 amounted to K4, 000, 000,000.

Commending Parmalat on its investment the deputy minister attributed the reinvestment to the company's responsiveness to consumer needs and the good economic climate prevailing in Zambia.

Addressing the newly launched cheese processing plant Kalenga said that, ‘This is a great opportunity for the growth of our dairy farmers,' as Parmalat would buy an additional 150, 000 litres of raw milk per month from them to meet the plants full capacity of 15,000 kg of cheese every month. ‘It will be up to our small scale dairy farmers to seize the opportunity and produce more milk which can be supplied to processors such as Parmalat,' he said.

Kalenga however, said that, ‘There were major policy challenges to the revitalization of agriculture given the openness of the economy and the structural factors that affect Zambian agro competitiveness, notably, advanced technical equipment, high transport costs and non-tariff export barriers.

‘We however, believe that we can successfully revitalize the agriculture sector if companies can come up with strategies to empower local farmers through training and buying of local produce. Parmalat has demonstrated on numerous occasions its commitment to grow the milk production of small scale farmers and linking them to the mainstream economy, he said.

Kalenga also noted that Parmalat is now exporting its products to neighbouring Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo and is in the process of casting the net even wider. ‘This should be commended as it is a sign that the company is here to stay.

Speaking at the occasion Parmalat managing director Piet Theron said that, ‘Quality is not negotiable' to ensure customer satisfaction, ‘Our decision to invest in new innovations at Parmalat is as a result of our commitment to respond to what our customers want. Parmalat will continue to produce highly nutritious products made in clean and healthy environments, using the latest technology that guarantees unrivalled quality.

‘For a quality product to be produced, quality raw milk is needed. Parmalat has also invested in the training of small scale farmers to ensure that the raw milk we process is of acceptable standard, to ensure our customers get quality,' he said.

Theron added that the new cheese plant would produce different pack sizes of cheese ranging from 150g to 240gms, as well as bulk cheese for the HORECA industry such as chain supermarkets, hotels and restaurants.