Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
MATABELELAND South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu has urged land owners who are under-utilising their farms citing limited resources to consider partnering with investors who can assist them to maximise production to enable the country’s economic growth.
Speaking during a Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Provincial Co-ordinating Committee (PCC) meeting at the weekend, Dr Ndlovu said some farmers were sitting on vast tracts of land which, if fully utilised have the potential to significantly contribute towards developing the economy and attainment of Vision 2030.
She noted that the province is ranked as one of the lowest-performing provinces in terms of GDP despite being endowed with a myriad of natural resources.
“This means our contribution to the country’s economy is very low. We are however one of the provinces that is very rich in natural resources. For example, we have minerals, tourist destinations, big dams, and our land has sweet grass which produces good-quality beef,” she said
“With all this wealth we have to ask ourselves why our province is still performing very badly.”
Dr Ndlovu said it was sad that some people who benefited from the land reform programme were not fully utilising the land.
“We don’t want unproductive farms. If you have land and don’t have resources to produce then engage partners so that you maximise production. If each farm were to be fully productive surely hunger would be a thing of the past,” she said.
Dr Ndlovu urged communities to mobilise resources and consider establishing their own irrigation schemes.
“You should desist from depending on rain-fed agriculture as it is not reliable in most parts of the district,” she said.
Dr Ndlovu said despite the province’s strength lying in livestock production, many community members were failing to utilise the resource.
She implored community members to treat their livestock as an asset.
Dr Ndlovu said each livestock owner has to focus on either growing their herd or improving the quality of their breed.
“Let’s look at the resources that we have and turn them into a gold mine. Let’s strive to establish big companies and have them listed on the stock exchange. We have to develop our communities,” she said.
“The vision of President Mnangagwa is to see households self-sustaining in line with Vision 2030, but it’s not possible if we are not investing in the resources that we have.”
Dr Ndlovu urged the provincial party leadership to be at the forefront of the investment drive. She said other areas of development include tourism and hospitality, housing, forestry, education, infrastructure development, and manufacturing among others.
“The unity of purpose and collective effort is key in the attainment of inclusive socio-economic growth and development of the province,” said Dr Ndlovu.
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