Command Agric gets Spanish boost

Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Government has received 80 centre pivots  worth over $6 million from Spain for Command Agriculture, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

VP Mnangagwa said the centre pivots were coming at a time when government was moving to adopt new technologies and strengthen infrastructural development in support of the successful import-substitution programme.

In his address during the Midlands Show Society Exhibitors reception which was also attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Huang Ping in Gweru last Friday, the Vice President said government was targeting to put 300 000 hectares of land under irrigation.

“At the moment we have 170 000 hectares of land under irrigation in the country and government is targeting 300 000 hectares. If we can produce a tonne per hectare we will be able to produce about 2, 2 million tons of maize. Our national consumption is 1,6 metric tonnes per annum. We received 80 centre pivots last month under first phase which we will give to our farmers and we will continue giving such equipment for irrigation to our farmers under the Command Agriculture programme being supported through relations we have with China, Russia, India, Spain and Belarus,” he said.

“We believe that in the next three years we will be able to reach the target because we want to have a situation where we have enough land under irrigation so that sustainability of the needs of food security for the country are achieved.”

The VP said the Command Agriculture model will be spread to cotton and other crops.

He said Government has put in place a three year scheme that has seen farmers receiving free cotton inputs.

“This year’s cotton yield is five times more than what we produced last year and we believe next year will surpass what we produced this year.

“When we realised the success of Command Agriculture we extended it to fish and introduced Command Fisheries which was launched by President Mugabe on May 19 at Tokwe Mukosi in Masvingo,” VP Mnangagwa said.

@pchitumba1