Sidumisile Mabena
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
GOVERNMENT has hailed agricultural research institution Kutsaga for its transformation into a key driver of food security, rural industrialisation and economic growth, in a move expected to strengthen efforts to cut food imports and build a science-led agricultural economy.
The endorsement comes as Zimbabwe intensifies efforts to boost agricultural productivity, strengthen value addition, and anchor rural industrialisation on innovation and research-driven systems aligned to Vision 2030.
The commendation was made by Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, and the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, soon after touring the Kutsaga exhibition stand at the ongoing Zimbabwe International Trade Fair 2026.
He said research institutions must no longer remain confined to narrow mandates, but should evolve into commercially viable engines of agricultural transformation.
“Research must patronise agricultural development, but not only should research centres focus on one aspect. Research should diversify to harness the scientific prowess that exists within an institution,” said Prof Jiri.
He said Kutsaga had already demonstrated how agricultural science could be redirected to address national priorities beyond tobacco, citing its expansion into tissue culture innovations and alternative crops.
“So, for Kutsaga, yes, tobacco is the central theme, but they must also transform to include other related research products that they can produce. We have seen them harness tissue culture to produce virus-free sweet potato. We have seen them ride on the ongoing debates on tobacco to diversify into hemp and so forth,” he said.
Prof Jiri said the shift was critical in ensuring research becomes self-sustaining while directly contributing to national economic development.
“All these products must be commercially available so that research is sustained at the institution. We need research to be commercialised. We need science to be diversified and to be used for commercial purposes,” he said.
Agriculture, Prof Jiri said, must now be firmly anchored on science, innovation and productivity rather than traditional practices.
“Agriculture is no longer a guesswork, but it must be science-driven. That is how we transform our agricultural sector into a productive and competitive economy,” he said.
At the centre of this transformation is Kutsaga’s evolution from a tobacco-focused research institution into a diversified agro-science hub supporting food security and rural industrialisation.
Echoing Government’s position, Kutsaga Head of Business Development and Marketing Mrs Mavis Rukweza Nyakachiranje said the institution had undergone a major transformation, expanding its research and innovation footprint beyond tobacco.
“We have undergone a world-class transformation. We now have a cutting-edge tissue culture laboratory and we are no longer centred on tobacco only, but a wide range of disease-free plants,” she said.
She said the institution was now producing improved planting materials, including virus-free crops such as sweet potatoes, Irish potato among a wide range of crops, which are expected to boost yields and strengthen national food security.
The diversification drive also includes exploration of alternative industrial crops such as hemp, as Zimbabwe seeks to expand agricultural value chains and respond to changing global markets.
Online Reporter