adminfor the production of malting barley, malting sorghum, adjunct sorghum and maize, the firm’s executive director Dr Sam Mushiri has said.
Dr Mushiri said this at the recent TechnoServe Agro Innovation competition launch in Harare.
“I am sure you all agree that Zimbabwe’s economy is highly dependent on agriculture.
“It is therefore of strategic importance that we strive to sustain the local production through sourcing of agricultural products within our economy.
“It is against this background that Delta is motivated to support TechnoServe’s Agro Innovation Zimbabwe competition initiative,” he said.
He said Delta supported the initiative because it provided a new competitive dimension to agriculture while inculcating a culture of treating agricultural activities as a profit making business.
“The initiative targets to capacitate medium scale agri-business at the smallholder level,” Dr Mushiri said.
Also speaking on behalf of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister, Sithembiso Nyoni, Director of Research, Policy Development and Legislation in her Ministry Mr Sensly Chatiza said the launch of the
Agro-Innovation Zimbabwe competition was critical in resuscitating the agricultural sector.
“It signifies the birth of an initiative that will fill the longstanding gaps in the recovery of the sector, especially the assistance that is going to be given to medium size private agro-business to engage smallholder farmers, outgrowers and contract growers,” she said.
Cde Nyoni said the availability of financial resources would speed up the evolution of the smallholder sector from the current predominantly subsistence to more commercial and business operations.
She cited VP Mujuru’s famous assertion that Government alone could not support the farmers and as such, companies needed to expand their portfolios by reaching out to as many farmers as possible. Minister Nyoni said by so doing, both parties would be in a win-win situation that would result in national prosperity because success in the agricultural sector would cascade down to other sectors of the economy.
“It should be noted that Zimbabwe’s agriculture can still be re-constructed in a set-up comprising mainly established agro-companies and small or medium scale and commercial farmers, outgrowers and contract farmers.
“The launch of the Agro Innovation competition therefore comes at a time the sector is facing funding challenges that are impeding growth and expansion. It is literally a gateway to accessing the much-needed funds and provides a platform to promote agro innovation that is key to the future of agriculture,” Minister Nyoni added.
Online Reporter