Unilever Zimbabwe said on Monday it will resume exports into the region at the end of the year. The company was forced to abandon exports in the 1990s due to the economic challenges that the country was going through.

Founded in 1943, Unilever Zimbabwe is a subsidiary of British-Dutch multinational, Unilever, the world's third-largest consumer goods manufacturer by revenue.

Its main products in Zimbabwe are soaps and foodstuffs such as Sunlight, Omo, Geisha and Stork Margarine.

Unilever Zimbabwe managing director Mrs Nancy Guzha told New Ziana that the company's local production had increased to allow a resumption of exports into the region.

"Later this year, we will resume exports to Zambia and Malawi, among others. Some products we were importing during the difficult time are now being produced locally since 2009," she said.

"We are actually working on a three-year product development plan that will see Unilever returning to what we used to do in the 1990s," Mrs Guzha said.

Unilever Zimbabwe currently employs more than 700 workers, both permanently and on contract.