The University of Zimbabwe is producing 25,000 loaves of bread per day at its Agro-Industrial Park using a blend of orange-fleshed sweet potato and wheat flour. The figure was disclosed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo, during a tour of the university's industrial facilities in early September 2026. The stated aims are to reduce production costs and strengthen nutrition.
Composite flour, blending wheat with locally grown starch sources, has been researched in Zimbabwe for years as a way to reduce dependence on imported hard wheat, but consumer acceptance has been the persistent obstacle because non-wheat flours dilute gluten and produce a denser loaf. A 25,000-loaf daily operation is the first production-scale local example of this approach. See baking and usage for more on composite flour experiments and flour quality for the gluten challenge behind them.
Orange-fleshed sweet potato is rich in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, which complements the mandatory vitamin A fortification already required in Zimbabwean wheat flour. See fortification and health for more on the country's fortification programme.
At 25,000 loaves a day, the university's output is a meaningful but small share of national production of 1.5 to 1.8 million loaves per day. This site will follow whether the model is adopted by commercial bakeries. See bread and bakeries for the wider industry context.