AN Indian State-owned company BEML Limited based here which specialises in manufacturing heavy-duty mining equipment and railway rolling stock has expressed interest in making Zimbabwe a distribution hub for its products in Southern Africa and the rest of Africa.

This was disclosed by the company’s chairman and managing director, Mr Viellore Natarajan at a dinner that the firm hosted for Vice President and her delegation yesterday. Some of the heavy duty equipment it makes include graders, dumpers, draglines, haulage trucks and portable steel bridges.

Mr Natarajan said Zimbabwe was well-positioned to be its distribution hub because of its strategic location.

“We understand that you will not be able to sell all the equipment in your country but we want you to sell it to those countries around you,” he said.

He, however, said that although a number of their products were already in use in Zimbabwe, their immediate interest was ensuring that Zimbabwean companies requiring their machinery got access to it.

“We have been in discussions with a number of companies that have expressed interest in a number of our machinery but they have been finding it difficult to secure lines of credit to buy the equipment.

“We know that Zimbabwe has a problem with risk and we are prepared to offer the machinery to your Government which can rent it out to those who need it on a long term basis of 25 years or more,” he said.

He, however, pointed out that for this to happen there was need for the Zimbabwean Government to put together a proposal that it would take to the Indian Ambassador in Harare who will forward it to his Government for funding.

The Indian Government has a US$5 billion fund that it set aside to fund projects proposed by Indian companies meant for African countries.

Vice President Mujuru welcomed the proposal saying that there was need to move with speed to implement the proposal.

“When we get back home the Ministers and Permanent Secretaries will sit down and put together the necessary paperwork and in two-weeks-time we should be able to take it to the Indian Ambassador,” she said.

She said that it was critical to move with speed to ensure that the equipment was shipped as soon as possible to allow those who needed it to start work.