Online Reporter
Victor Maphosa-Mashonaland East Bureau
THE Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Land Affairs, Agriculture, Fisheries, Breeding and Rural Development, Jean Pierre Kalenga Mupatale, this week toured various agricultural facilities in Mashonaland East province as the resource-rich nation seeks to tap into Zimbabwe’s expertise to transform its agricultural sector.
Minister Mupatale led a delegation from the DRC that was taken on the tour by officials from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources.
On Thursday, they toured the Grain Marketing Board’s Timber Mills depot on the boundary of Mashonaland East and Manicaland provinces, where Government is constructing seven artificial intelligence-equipped grain silos.
The delegation also visited Fresh Farm (Pvt) Limited in Marondera District, where about 110 hectares have been put under blueberries.
The tour concluded with a visit to the Kunzvi Dam construction site in Goromonzi District, one of the largest water infrastructure projects in Mashonaland East province.
Speaking to Zimpapers on the sidelines of the tour, Minister Mupatale said the primary purpose of the visit was to have an appreciation of the technologies being used by Zimbabwe in the agriculture sector.
“Our visit at these silos was to learn how Zimbabwe is stocking and preserving grain and cereals especially using the new infrastructure that is under construction here,” he said.
“We are also learning the new technologies that Zimbabwe is employing in stocking grain.
“We are also interested in learning various methods of motivating farmers. So, we are learning how farmers are working here in Zimbabwe and how we can also motivate our farmers back home to maximise on production.”
Minister Mupatale said everything the delegation learnt during the visit would be taken back to the DRC for implementation.
“We learnt a lot on the old methods which Zimbabwe was using, and also the new methods of stocking and preserving grain using the new infrastructure and technology,” he said.
Head of the Technical Committee for the Zimbabwe-Lualaba Project, Mr Washington Katiyo, who accompanied the delegation, highlighted the importance of the tour.
“The DRC delegation is in our country to see exactly what we are doing in the agriculture sector. We are here at Timber Mills where we are showcasing what we are doing in terms of grain storage.
“We are moving to the bulk storage facility that we are constructing here. We believe that the kind of facilities we have will be helpful to them in DRC.
“The Lualaba province in DRC wants the Government of Zimbabwe to invest in that country and give them expertise in the agriculture sector, for them to improve their agriculture.”
Timber Mills depot site engineer Clifford Chikerema said the new infrastructure would be completed this year.
“We are constructing seven silos here at Timber Mills, with a storage capacity of 56 000 tonnes. Right now, progress is at 91 percent completion and we expect to complete the project by September this year.
“These silos are equipped with artificial intelligence systems from storage, dryers and conveyer belts up to dispatch; everything is automated,” said Eng Chikerema.
The DRC’s Lualaba Province has turned to Zimbabwe for agricultural expertise as it seeks to diversify its mining-dependent economy and accelerate food production through a proposed investment partnership that could see local skills, seed, machinery and agribusinesses exported to the vast Central African nation.
The visit follows engagements held during the 7th Katanga Business Meeting in May, where discussions focused on operationalising an agriculture investment partnership between Zimbabwe and the resource-rich province.
