Profeeds & Aquafeeds Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

USD100 000

Spent on Profeeds Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives during F2023

Community development was driven through the Profarmer Retail platform, which supported communities in livestock and agronomy training programmes nationwide.
Profeeds empowerment and uplifting of community initiatives, our ongoing and dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility programme involved providing invaluable advice and expertise at ‘no cost’ from its dedicated professional animal scientists, nutritionists, veterinarians, and agronomists alongside immense management training and giving hours of time.
During the year, Profeeds trained close to 3 000 people via seminar-styled training hosted and managed through the Company’s centres, as well as on-farm-style training. 75% of those trained were exposed to aquaculture training; potentially new customers for Aquafeeds fish feed.

Small-scale On Farm Training.

Free of Charge Training days are offered to everyone in the community. Onsite training is also offered to those customers that require extra assistance. Estimated value of these free training sessions equated to approximately USD 20 000.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Development, and supplier-organised events, thousands of farmers are reached through events such as field days, opening store promotions and attending specialist field days.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Development and the Department of Veterinary Field Services declared a “War against Theileriosis (January Disease)” to curb a potential national disaster. Profeeds sponsored a field day for January Disease Awareness at Shinje Dip in Guruve.

In addition to the above, Profeeds has a dedicated toll-free call center, which operates Monday to Friday from 8 am to 5 pm and social media customer services teams, offering farmers across Zimbabwe and beyond our borders free advice and information for their projects.
Profeeds is excited about the upcoming ‘Profarmer Gardens Project,’ which sees an initial number of schools earmarked to receive agronomy training, including a donation pack towards their horticulture garden projects.
Following on from the previous year’s community based projects, Profeeds has received positive feedback on follow-ups, which indicate that 85% of these projects are now fully sustainable and provide income for these vulnerable groups.

Animal welfare support

Animal welfare support is channelled via two streams: as feed donations and cash donations. Profeeds has loyally supported chosen charities over the years due to their impeccable work ethic and passion towards animal welfare.

Profeeds support of Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“ZNSPCA”) goes back 11 years with the initiative of 50 cents being donated for every bag of Prodog sold. F2023 donation reached almost USD 10 000, a 53% increase from the previous year.
In addition, Profeeds supports organisations with their feed requirements and offers feed discounts to organisations such as Healing with Horses and The Tikki Hywood Foundation.
A USD 10 000 donation to Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Zimbabwe (VAWZ) saw another year supporting sterilisation and vaccination (Rabies prevention) campaigns they spearheaded and this year witnessed 5 campaigns in the areas Caledonia, Chimanimani (Nyahonde, Nyanyadzi, Gudyanya), Kariba, and Christon Bank. A total of 176 animals were spayed and neutered as well as receiving both 5-1 and rabies vaccinations. A further 1 708 animals were vaccinated against rabies. In addition, several walk-in cases were seen, and Profeeds are proud to sponsor this great cause.
A total of 3 MT of feed was donated to The Friend Animal Foundation.
Profeeds’ continued its sponsorship donation to Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservation with the donation of 35MT of game pellets this financial year. These game nuts are used all year round as a supplement feed for endangered wildlife, including black and white rhino and elephant. The game nuts improve and maintain the health and condition of the animals greatly, as due to the size of the conservancy, browsing areas can be limited at certain times of the year. Supplementing feeding ensures nutrition; therefore, the condition of the animals remains constant.

Organisational Growth

Profeeds prides itself as an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the growth and empowerment of women in the workforce. The Company’s headcount has seen a 29% increase in female employees in a year total employment grew by 8% year-on-year.

The overall headcount increased from a total of 770 in F2022 to 833 at the end of F2023. This is attributed to the establishment of six new Profarmer branches during F2023 and will further see an increase with the planned expansion of the retail platform.

Training and Development:

Sales Conference:

The Company has adopted various learning and career development initiatives, including a sales conference for the Sales Team in February 2023. The training was facilitated by SABRE, and 110 retail staff members attended. Graduate Trainees & Internship:
Profeeds provides young people with the opportunity to gain on-the-job training. Currently, Profeeds has 24 graduate trainees and 3 university attachment students who are participating in a one-year traineeship that began in August 2022 and will end in December 2023. The trainees are placed in various departments, including Retail (Agriculture/Crop Agronomy & Veterinary/Animal Science), Retail (Marketing & Retail Management), Maintenance (Electrical Power Engineering), Finance (Accounting & Finance), and Quality Control (Food Science & Biotechnology), with a grand total of 27 trainees.

TOPP Program:

The company also has 9 employees - 6 men and 3 women - enrolled in the TOPP program for F2023 to attain the prestigious Chartered Accountant (CA) designation. This initiative is critical in securing the organisation’s longterm skills base and empowering employees to achieve their maximum potential and meet their career goals

Long Service Awards:

Profeeds recognises employees with long service and celebrated those with 10+ years of service in F2023. These employees continue to be custodians of the Company’s performance culture and provide guidance to junior employees. The following schedule shows the number of employees crossing each milestone during the year:

Number of Employees crossing each Milestone in 2023:

Long Service Award recipients:

From left to right, front row: Stephen Kuyea, Ganizo Vehiwa, Yassin Peter & Passmore Mutsawo). Back row: Tapiwa Mundenda, Ganizani Phiri, Thomas Rusere & Willard Kagwende