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ZIMBABWE’s horticulture farmers have potential to supply the whole nation with enough produce and surplus being exported to other countries, an agronomist has said.
Speaking at a horticulture farmers’ workshop in Rusape, agronomist Mr Barnabas Murungu said with adequate funding and proper training of the farmers, horticultural imports would be a thing of the past.
The nation has been of late importing horticultural produce from neighbouring South Africa such as onions, potatoes and tomatoes, among others, a situation which threatened the viability of local farmers.
“If adequately funded and properly trained local farmers can satisfy the local market with surplus being exported to other countries. There is a huge potential among the farmers in this lucrative sector.
“What is now needed is an assured market for their produce because it so disheartening to carry your produce to Mbare Produce Market only to discover that it is flooded by cheap imports from South Africa. Horticultural produce are highly perishable, so a farmer needs to have an assured market to avoid losses,” he said.
Speaking at the same workshop, horticultural seeds producer Mr Lawrence Sedze said farmers should be organised and form groups and clubs to share knowledge and information about the industry for the betterment of their yields.
“Farming is a business which you cannot afford to be selfish or stingy with information. Farmers should form clubs and groups where vital information and ideas are shared. The I Know It All attitude does not work in agriculture.
“The 24 farmers who attended this workshop will be different all together in how they conduct their operations because of the information and ideas they exchanged here,” said Mr Sedze, who specialises in indigenous seedlings.
Online Reporter