Farmers seek support

Herald Reporter
A women farmers’ group has urged Government to assist its disadvantaged members to secure funding and equipment for their operations. Addressing a two-day workshop for women farmers held in Harare yesterday, Zimbabwe Women Farmers Association Trust president Ms Depinah Nkomo appealed to the new Government to support their disadvantaged members to access loans from financial institutions for them to be able to acquire farming equipment and inputs.

“We are appealing to the new government to assist the disadvantaged farmers to also secure irrigation and mechanisation equipment,” said Ms Nkomo.

She castigated the pitiable performance by the now defunct inclusive government which had little support to the farmers.
“As we appreciate the coming in of the new government, efforts should be made for the removal of economic sanctions to allow for low interest loans to be accessible to small scale farmers for easy acquisition of irrigation equipment from other countries,” she said.

Ms Nkomo underscored the need to support women who forms the backbone of the family unit.
“Women constitute the highest percentage of population in Zimbabwe, so empowering women means empowering the nation,” she said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the same occasion, Ms Cresencia Pfundirwa, a farmer from Zvimba, lamented the lack of collateral security, saying it was hindering them from accessing loans from banks.