Sable Chemical restarts ammonium nitrate production in Zimbabwe after three-year shutdown

Sable Chemical Industries, Zimbabwe’s only producer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, has restarted production following a three-year closure, after receiving a capital injection from the Mutapa Investment Fund, the state-backed sovereign investment vehicle.

Chief executive Harrison Shumba confirmed the restart, saying the Kwekwe-based plant is operational and targeting output of up to 240,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate per year — enough to cover roughly 63% of Zimbabwe’s annual requirement of approximately 380,000 tonnes. The facility had been shut down due to a combination of high energy costs, financial constraints and operational difficulties that stretched back to the early 2020s.

The Mutapa Fund injection represents the latest step in the Zimbabwean government’s five-year fertilizer import substitution roadmap, which aims to reduce the country’s dependence on purchased nitrogen inputs from South Africa and other regional suppliers. Shumba said the company currently imports ammonia as a key raw material, which accounts for approximately 78% of production costs. The long-term plan is for Sable to produce its own ammonia using electrolysis, a technology the plant operated from 1972 until 2015 — a shift that would significantly reduce per-tonne fertilizer costs and improve supply security for local farmers.

The timing of the restart is notable. Global ammonium nitrate and nitrogen fertilizer prices have risen sharply in 2026 as the Strait of Hormuz closure has constrained supply from the Middle East. Zimbabwe, like many African countries, has faced rising fertilizer import bills that threaten food security ahead of the winter cropping season. Production at Kwekwe offers domestic farmers a local alternative at a time when imported inputs have become more expensive and harder to secure.

Source: Zimbabwe Situation