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Ivan Zhakata
The agriculture sector requires efficient financial services in order to attain the 120 000 hectares of wheat targeted during this winter season, an official has said.
AFC group chief executive officer, Mr Francis Machekasaid this during the Wheat Based Food Security: Zimbabwe’s Best Foot Forward Conference organised by Zimpapers in partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in Harare this morning.
Mr Macheka said AFC is promoting development finance services to transform Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector.
He said their mandate is to support agriculture in the country while leaving no one and no place behind.
“We want to make sure that everyone is involved in the development of the country,” Mr Macheka said.
He also said they were supporting the production of winter wheat this season across the country.
Speaking during the same event, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chairman, Dr Tafadzwa Musarara said wheat farming has become the Government’s biggest import substitution since 1980, with the country producing 1.3 million loaves of bread per day.
He, however, said as millers they are facing several challenges, among them remittance and logistics issues.
“We had tonnes of wheat coming via Beira into Harare and that created serious logistics problems. We also had geopolitical problems and unstable world prices,” Dr Musarara said.
He said they were also affected by Covid-19, although things have now gone back to normal.
Online Reporter