Harare — AN indigenous-owned company, Phoenix Health International, based at the Bluffhill Industrial Park, has ventured into the production of sanitary pads that are being marketed under the Elsie brand.

PHI's marketing director Mr Canisio Takawira said that their brand of sanitary ware, which would be launched tomorrow at Arundel Spar, is designed to suit the needs of all discerning women.

The motivation for launching the product, he said, was the need to meet the unsatiated demand for sanitary ware in the country.

"We are not just coming in to fill the void but we are also keen to provide a product that takes into consideration and addresses the concerns of the discerning woman and at the moment we are distributing our product in Harare and Chitungwiza," he said.

Mr Takawira said that they are currently operating at 30 percent capacity and their monthly production was between 60 000 to 80 000 units against a national requirement of 2 million to 2,5 million units per month.

The country has largely depended on imported brands with Always and Stay Free leading the pack.

There have also been some locally manufactured brands such as Farai that have also come onto the market.