The National University of Science and Technology plans to start three major projects, including blueberry farming, cannabis growing, and tomato powder production. These ventures aim to help the school become self-sufficient and create more than 250 jobs. The university expects these projects will bring in about $13.5 million yearly, money needed to finish its library, which remains just 22 percent complete.
Vice Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo showed visitors a 20-hectare plot reserved for greenhouse blueberry farming. The $1.1 million project should produce at least five kilograms per plant and earn $7.5 million annually. The school will also build a two-hectare cannabis greenhouse costing $350,000, which includes licensing fees and research facilities. This operation could generate $6 million each year from oil exports.
The tomato powder project comes from student ideas and will launch in Bulawayo Province this month. NUST currently teaches about 11,500 students across nine departments, with plans to reach 12,000 students before year-end end. Women make up 43 percent of the student body at the university, which has focused on science and technology education since opening in 1991.
Vice Chancellor Professor Mqhele Dlodlo showed visitors a 20-hectare plot reserved for greenhouse blueberry farming. The $1.1 million project should produce at least five kilograms per plant and earn $7.5 million annually. The school will also build a two-hectare cannabis greenhouse costing $350,000, which includes licensing fees and research facilities. This operation could generate $6 million each year from oil exports.
The tomato powder project comes from student ideas and will launch in Bulawayo Province this month. NUST currently teaches about 11,500 students across nine departments, with plans to reach 12,000 students before year-end end. Women make up 43 percent of the student body at the university, which has focused on science and technology education since opening in 1991.
