Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza [email protected]
CONGREGANTS of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church in Zimbabwe yesterday benefitted from enterprueneral and farming skills impacted on them by farmers and businesses people during an ongoing camp meeting in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North Province.
The annual camp is being attended by thousands of church members with the young and economically gainful members urged to take full advantage of the Government’s economic transformative initiatives, including youth access to land, to contribute meaningfully to the national economy and boost food production.
The appeal was made during the church’s annual camp meeting that brought together thousands of congregants for a seven-day spiritual retreat.
The Nyamandlovu gathering falls under the Zimbabwe West Union Conference, one of three Unions in the country overseeing six other conferences, each with roughly 100 000 members.
Addressing the congregants during a business session, businessman Mr Bunolo Noko urged them to take income generating projects that made available in the farming sector.
“Our company has availed what we call an out growers project where we supply individuals with, for example, 5 000 chicks, feed and chemicals to produce broiler chickens. When the birds have matured after six weeks we collected and pay the farmer minus the money that we would have used to produce the chicks and for the stockfeed.
“The farmer can make over US$4 000 in just six weeks, which is a lot of money so we urge is for the youth to come together in groups and take up the chicken rearing project that our compang Sunset Marketing is offering,” said Mr Noko.
SDA member and cattle breeder Mr Jairos Mahlangu, highlighted the opportunities Government policies have created for young people to access land and start farming projects.
“Young people still have age on their side, they have technology and fresh ideas at their disposal, to venture into farming, be it poultry, cattle breeding or growing maize, cabbage and butternut, among other crops,” he said.
“The Government has made access to land for the youth easier and my message to all the young congregants of the SDA church is to take advantage of such policies that are being spearheaded by our leaders to get land and start producing food.”
Other presenters included an expert in the bee keeping sector as well an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development who urged the church congregates to try venturing into horticulture, a sector he said offers farmers rich pickings.
