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service providers to recapitalise.
Addressing farmers attending a meeting in Mvurwi last Wednesday, Jupiter Insurance managing director, Mr Maximilan Uzande said failure to repay loans was killing service providers, the agriculture industry and the country.
“Farming is 80 percent inputs and 20 percent cash so if farmers do not repay their loans it means they will not be able to secure fresh basic requirements of production – inputs and fresh loans,” he said.
Mr Uzande said farmers needed to approach farming with a business attitude and aim to generate an income, boost food security and get the economy ticking.
“Agricultural production should be market driven. Farmers must produce to oil the economy. Government relies on what farmers generate,” said the Jupiter boss.
He also challenged farmers to diversify their activities on the farms as a way of mitigating risk.
Farming should have no season just like any other businesses and farmers should not bank on one crop but strive to produce all-year round to establish fluent cash in-flow, further explained Mr Uzande.
“Farmers should shift from depending on Government and move towards self-reliance. Rather, it is Government that should depend on the farmers and not vice-versa.
“Farmers should stop being cry babies. Let us use what we have to generate what we do not have,” he said.
Mr Uzande further challenged farmers to form groups to make it easy to access services. Groups mitigate risk and most service providers tend to have more faith in groups than individuals.
Group members have been known to encourage each other, which is good for production, he said.
Farmers should also work hand in hand with Agritex and farmers’ unions to make it easy for them to get recommendations when they seek services such as insurance, Mr Uzande further explained.
Online Reporter