Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
COLONEL Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga, wife of Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, has commended farmers for ensuring the country remains food secure despite the El Niño-induced drought.
She spoke while officially opening and closing the 66th edition of the annual Matabeleland South Agricultural Show in Gwanda on Saturday. The show, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, was held under the theme “Smart Interventions in Agribusiness: Our Top Priority”.
Crop and livestock farmers, Government departments, parastatals, seed companies, non-governmental organisations, uniformed forces and funeral parlours were among the exhibitors. The show also attracted exhibitors from Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province, South Africa, which is in a twinning arrangement with Gwanda Municipality.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said displays by farmers from across the province were impressive and a testament to the Second Republic’s drive to restore Zimbabwe’s status as the breadbasket of the region. She noted that the exhibitions indicated the adoption of climate-smart measures to mitigate the effects of the prevailing El Niño-induced drought, in line with this year’s agricultural show theme.
“As we rightfully round up the annual show, I must say our farmers have gone through a lot in the 2023/2024 farming season. The El Niño-induced drought saw the country receiving insufficient rainfall. I must congratulate the farmers we see before us today. They braved the unfavourable conditions and endured. We are proud to see them here displaying their resilience made possible by adopting smart interventions.
“Fellow Zimbabweans, these are the fruits of ‘Smart Interventions’ that have seen us as a nation surviving through the drought. These efforts will help to ensure food security in the country. In order to ensure food security, everyone has a role to play, no matter how small the contribution may seem. I was impressed by the exhibitions I saw as I toured the stands,” she said.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said that through farming, the country can regain its strength. She emphasised the need to enhance value addition of local produce. She added that the work being done by farmers to ensure food and nutrition security is a good response to President Mnangagwa’s philosophy “Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo/ Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”.
She commended the Matabeleland South Agricultural Show Society for successfully hosting the 66th edition of the show.
“I implore each one of us Zimbabweans to contribute to development and enhance production. No one who is not a Zimbabwean will come from the moon to help us build the Zimbabwe we envisage. Every one of us has a role to play in the transformation and economic development of our Zimbabwe.
“The executive committee running the affairs of the Matabeleland South Agricultural Show Society has repeatedly called for the corporate sector to come on board and develop the show grounds into a state-of-the-art exhibition park,” she said.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga urged partners to come on board and construct permanent structures.
Also speaking during the same event, the Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, said interactions between exhibitors will surely birth fruitful engagements that will yield better results in uplifting the livelihoods of people in the province and the country at large.
“It’s at such fora that farmers, both crop and livestock, get some guidance from the experts. I therefore, hope and trust that we all benefited from the three-day showcase. I am reliably informed that the annual event managed to draw a significant number of exhibitors and a notable number of new entrants compared to previous years such as Makhado Municipality from South Africa through the Trans-Limpopo Spatial Development Initiative,” she said.
Matabeleland South Agricultural Show Society president, Ms Sharon Dewa, said the agricultural show has to serve as a platform where farmers are capacitated to adopt climate-smart practices.
“Smart agriculture interventions are essential to survive in agriculture. Our experts have continued to research the best possible and quick interventions that will not leave our farmers struggling. We are motivated by bigger shows like ZITF. Our thrust is on the development of our farmers from around the districts in the province,” she said.
Ms Dewa said the response from exhibitors this year was pleasing and the show attracted a number of new exhibitors.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga also handed over certificates and prizes to outstanding exhibitors. Under the commercial section, exhibitors were awarded certificates across 20 different categories. Farmers from all seven districts battled it out in the crop category. — @DubeMatutu
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