daniel chigunwe
Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
Close to 3 000 households throughout the country have so far benefited from the 78 village business units established under the ongoing Presidential Rural Development Programme.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development is implementing the programme through the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa), Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (Arda) and the Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC).
The programme is to improve the livelihoods of rural communities through the establishment of village business units, which are registered as formal companies with the local people being both employees earning wages and shareholders earning dividends from the ventures. Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga said the units are already bearing fruit with some beneficiaries earning a monthly income of up to US$80 and up to US$3 000 in annual dividends. It is envisaged that under the Presidential Rural Development Programme, a total of 35 000 village business units and 9 600 school business units will be established by 2025 and these village business units will help spur rural industrialisation and address food security, income generation and employment creation gaps.
“In the implementation of the programme, Zinwa is responsible for the development of the village business units and infrastructure which typically include a solar powered borehole, water storage tanks, fish ponds, community water point and a one-hectare drip irrigated horticulture project,’’ said Mrs Munyonga.
She said Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) assists the village business units with the identification and links to markets which will also inform their cropping decisions. ARDA assists with the development of the village business units business cases, their registration as formal companies and agronomy advice and AFC provides funding.
Mashonaland Central has the highest number of beneficiaries at 1125 households. Mashonaland East has 62 beneficiary households, Masvingo has 213 households, Manicaland 459, Midlands 494, Matabeleland Provinces 200 and Mashonaland West 386.
The Presidential Rural Development Programme is part of the Government’s Rural Development 8.0 initiative whose other components include the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model, Pfumvudza/ Intwasa, Presidential Poultry Scheme, the Presidential Goat Scheme, Presidential Fisheries Scheme, Presidential Blitz Tick Grease Scheme and the Presidential Cotton Inputs Scheme.
Some beneficiaries of the village agro-business units are already receiving dividends, while others are expecting dividend pay-outs of up to US$3 000.
In Manicaland, for example, the village agro-business units have been established in Chisuma, Temaruru, Tamburikayi, Hakwata, Chichesa, Mutema Secondary and at Chief Mutema’s homestead.
The village business units have proved to be a game changer for the beneficiary rural communities whose lives are being transformed in terms of food security, employment creation and enhanced income generally.
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