Online Reporter
Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
The 115th Zimbabwe Agricultural Show opens its gates today with a significant increase in exhibitors from all sectors of the economy, from 430 to 505, and the cream of Zimbabwean farmers coming in from the winners of the provincial shows.
Exhibitors have so far taken more than 79 500 square metres out of 86 500 square metres of available space and some latecomers are likely with a total of up to 580 now expected.
Running from today until Saturday in Harare, the show will also celebrate 130 years of the society’s existence.
Harare’s Exhibition Park has business conferences and entertainment events lined up for the annual event, where farmers get the opportunity to compete and showcase their produce, the show having been started by farmers with other exhibitors coming in later.
Yesterday some exhibitors were still putting last-minute touches to their stands.
The show will host activities including a schools quiz tournament as well as a food security business breakfast meeting to give executives, industrialists and Government officials an opportunity to network and come up with solutions to production challenges.
ZAS chief executive Mr Rufaro Alfred Gunundu announced yesterday that the show is ready to roll with exhibitors doing the final touches to their stands.
He said 505 exhibitors had confirmed their participation so far and expectations are high that the number will reach around 580.
“We are expecting a good agricultural show this season. We are happy about the preparations. So far, we are on top of everything. We have prepared well for the show and we are expecting the number of exhibitors to rise. The show remains a key platform to showcase the achievements of Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector and engage on opportunities and challenges affecting the industry,” he said.
Mr Gunundu said there were 12 international foreign exhibitors from Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, India, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
Running under the theme “Building bridges: Connecting Agriculture, Industry and Communities,” the 2025 show will feature high-level business-to-business dialogues.
Today there will be annual ZAS school quiz competitions while tomorrow there will be an annual National Agricultural business conference and exhibitors cocktail party.
On Thursday there will be Zimbabwe Agricultural Media Awards, Environmental social and Governance conference and Research for Agricultural Excellence and Technology indaba.
The prestigious ZAS Show Section will feature 300 provincial champions chosen from nationwide competitions, judged by a regional panel.
On the livestock front, there are 499 entries and 1 636 entries for agri-produce from 112 farmers.
In the crop section, Zimbabwe’s tobacco success remains on display, with over 340 million kg harvested last season, earning more than US$1,13 billion in revenue.
Cotton judging has been completed, showcasing its role in rural economies.
Mr Gunundu said this time visitors will benefit from improved infrastructure, including secure parking, child ID tagging, and expanded access points.
The Glamis Arena will offer entertainment ranging from live music to fireworks, with the official opening and prize giving set for Friday.
