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Officially opening the 8th Hwange Annual Agricultural Show on Saturday, Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu, said he was saddened by the fact that with the rich natural resources in the province, locals had nothing to show for it in terms of personal and community development.
He said tour and adventure companies, coal mining companies and hunting safaris were all busy exploiting resources without giving back to the communities they were operating in.
“I worry when I feel like we are lagging behind in issues to do with development. Things are changing, Matabeleland North Province was one of the most attractive provinces. We prided ourselves with this province but it has lost that status. Even this agricultural show was a provincial thing but now it is like a district show. We need to reinstate the real status of this show and the province,” said Dr Mpofu.
He said he was shocked by the absence of exhibitors from the tourism and mining sector yet he had personally granted licences to many coal mining companies to operate in the area.
“We have hotels. This is a tourism centre but they are not here, we have mines and they are also not here. At least thanks to Hwange Colliery Company and Makomo Resources. We have more mines since I approved more concessions and we also have companies to do with hunting. So what is their purpose if they are not showcasing what they are doing here? Why are they not here? Is it the failure to recognise the importance of the show or it is sheer arrogance on their part?
“We have companies that have refused to even employ local labour. It doesn’t happen in any other province. These people are free to do what they want here and the local leadership is not taking any action.
“There is no community support, there is nothing being done by these companies who are exploiting our resources. There are no roads, no schools and all they do is harvest our natural resources. I feel much challenged and I have even raised this issue in Cabinet and Politburo.
“I am not a tribalist but a nationalist. In Victoria Falls, Hwange, Lupane, investors refuse to employ locals and when the locals decide to go out of the country, we accuse them of being unpatriotic,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Mpofu said the Government was implementing policy measures to facilitate rapid growth of the agricultural sector as it sought to revive the country’s economy.
He said the Government would continue to ensure that farmers get favourable prices for their produce in order to encourage more people to get back into mainstream agricultural production.
The three-day exhibition ran under the theme, “Creating opportunities to increase social responsibility in the face of global climatic change”.
“Those drought situations have taught us a number of lessons, among them the indispensability of an early warning system, the need for strategic reserve facilities, continued research efforts in traditional food crops, the need for medium and large scale water conservation schemes and general national preparedness.
“Accordingly, given the changing weather patterns, priority is being placed on improving water harvesting techniques for irrigation farming.
“These Government efforts have been generously augmented by some non-governmental organisations, particularly in those areas with endemic food shortages due to successive droughts,” said Dr Mpofu.
He said in an effort to increase the contribution of smallholder farmers to food security, Government encouraged smallholder farmers to adopt a more commercial approach towards agriculture.
“Let me point out that the revival of the economy would largely depend on how fast we succeed in revitalising agriculture together with other leading sectors of the economy. Let me also indicate that my Government is implementing policy measures to facilitate rapid growth of the agricultural sector as evidenced by the Grain Loan Scheme and Presidential Input Support Scheme. I am glad to note that despite the drought conditions experienced last year, the agricultural sector recorded an improved growth rate,” said Dr Mpofu.
He said though farmers had done a commendable job by contributing towards achievement of national food security, the national consumption of both maize and wheat far exceeded production leading to imports to mitigate food shortages.
“I therefore, urge our farmers to adopt appropriate technologies and improved farming practices in order to increase production and contribute towards achievement of national self-sufficiency. This is only feasible through dedicated research into traditional food crops suited to the ecological conditions of various agricultural regions,” said Dr Mpofu.
He said Government would continue to provide the necessary support needed to transform the farming sector into a rewarding commercial activity.
“The Government will continue to put in place measures to ensure that farmers have access to affordable credit for them to realise full potential. There is indeed potential for further growth of the sector and I encourage farmers to increase production for local consumption and for export. I also urge farmers to take advantage of the forthcoming United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly to supply their home-grown produce and products,” he said.
Also speaking at the function, the show society chairman, Mr Herbert Sansole, said climatic change was affecting people’s food supply hence the need for communities to adopt strategies to avert food shortages.
Online Reporter