adminMercy Ngwebvu
EXPECTATIONS for sufficient food production in Nyanga South Constituency were boosted following the handover of 40 water pumps to farmers by the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Lin Lin, last week.The Member of House of Assembly for the area Cde Supa Mandiwanzira sourced the material assistance on behalf of the farmers.
The handover ceremony was held at Tendanayi Primay School.
Increasing crop productivity in arid and semi-arid communal parts of Nyanga South is often regarded as a mammoth task owing to a combination of highly erratic and low rainfall, and degraded soils deficient in plant nutrients.
The peasant farmers in these marginalised areas — often women and youths — are resource poor and have little support and their plight seldom touches anybody.
Economically invisible, these peasants never feature on economic spread-sheets and have very little access to community service, national programmes and year in year out, these peasants struggle to meet the increasing demand for food.
Furthermore, these farmers rarely have the financial resources to make the kind of long-term investments in productivity improvements or resource protection that could help lift them out of poverty.
And the gesture could not come at a better time as it will ameliorate the farmers’ ability to master more than a marginal living.
“This donation is a challenge to Nyanga South to find out how much you can deliver (in terms of crop production). This area is quite dry but now that we have been assisted with water pumps, we are expected to resuscitate community gardens as well as competition among ourselves –where very farmer fights to have the best yields to ensure household food security.
“I don’t think maintaining these pumps will be a problem. I know that you have the capacity to regularly service your equipment so that you will use them for longer,” said Cde Mandiwanzira.
He also revealed that plans were at an advanced stage to have a delegation of farmers from Zimbabwean visit China for an exchange of ideas and networking.
“China is among the leading economies in the world and I believe that the arrangement to have our farmers visit China will enable them to learn vital lessons about agriculture. Plans are already there to dispatch a delegation to China and through the same arrangement, we are confident of attracting investors too,” said Cde Mandiwanzira.
“If our farmers can learn how others in China are doing, they will get informed, motivated and back home will strive for better agricultural operations and results. It is important to know that Zimbabwe is very serious about food production and food security,” he said.
The distribution of the equipment will be done in consultation with the existing traditional and local Government structures.
The Chinese Ambassador said China was determined to support and revive Zimbabwe’s agriculture to stimulate economic growth.
He said China was still developing and also benefits from Zimbabwe’s generosity.
“China is trying to help Zimbabwe because it now has the capacity to do so. As a nation, we pledge not to forget our friends in this part of the world.
“This is so because when China was in dire straits at one point in time, we got aid from countries like Zimbabwe and others in Africa.
“I would also like to urge all the farmers in this area to be co-operative and devoted because this will motivate investors,” said Mr Lin.
“I understand that these 40 pumps are just a drop in the ocean but they are also our way of showing that as China, we want Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector to be resuscitated and improved to become better since the local economy is agro-based.
“We intend to bring more agricultural machinery as well as introduce an emergency food assistance programme soon,” the Chinese Ambassador said.
Online Reporter