By CHATULA KANGALI
KAPIRI Glass Manufacturing (KGM) Limited, which was closed in 1998 after being privitised in 1995, will soon resume operations following the shareholder’s decision to raise working capital.
The shareholder was currently raising working capital which will enable the company resume production.
The glass factory is the only glass manufacturing company in the country.
Chimsoro Group of Companies later bought core assets of the glass factory from the receiver, Energy and Young.
KGM chairperson Costain Chilala  said in an interview that the company was raising working capital to resume production.
Mr Chilala said the company had completed the rehabilitation of the plant which was defunct for many years.
“We are on course and soon will resume the production of glass. We are raising  money  to resume  production, all the  raw  materials for glass  making  are  readily  available,”  he said.
He  said that  the  company was  expected to  produce about  75 tonnes  of  glass  per  day  and  employ about 300  local people.
Mr Chilala  said  the  company was  expected  to  start  manufacturing  bottles  for  Zambian  Breweries once it resumes  operations.
The demand for glass products in the country has increased several folds since the closure of the factory, resulting in the importation of the products.
Government is currently conducting an analysis on the availability and types of sand used for glass manufacturing before calling for further investment in the sector.
Recently, Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said that officers from relevant institutions were currently analysing samples of sand from different parts of the country.
She said that once the analysis is concluded, Government would know which areas in the country have a type of sand that could be used for manufacturing glass.