Tinaye Agere
Theseus Shambare
ZIMBABWE’S transformative achievements in the agricultural sector are a testament to President Mnangagwa’s visionary leadership and innovativeness, a Nigerian government official has noted.
Nigerian Federal Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Shaib Kyari, who is on a three-day visit, made these remarks on Thursday afternoon when he paid a courtesy call on Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka.
This followed the delegation’s visit to local farms on Wednesday, before meeting the President on Thursday morning.
He said the high-powered delegation, composed of senior government officials and technocrats, came to learn how Zimbabwe, within just five years, managed to succeed despite facing a myriad of challenges emanating from climate change.
“The efforts by President Mnangagwa in Zimbabwe’s agriculture is tremendous and is something that need to be commended.
“That is true leadership because you (Dr Masuka) have mentioned that people have been resilient and could rise to the occasion. If there was no good leadership, there was nothing good to ever materialise.
“It is the trust and leadership qualities that have driven you to this level and today you are happy to say Zimbabwe is food sufficient. We want to look at that system, those policies you have laid down including the Pfumvudza programme and the mechanisation adoption,” said Minister Kyari.
Nigeria, he said, had a huge population of over 200 million people and farmers are failing to produce enough to feed the people.
He said his country now want to enter mechanisation deals similar to Zimbabwe as well as adopt conservation agriculture.
“This is the reason why we are here, we want to achieve the same through accelerating mechanisation and learn from all your models,” said Minister Kyari.
Minister Masuka said the initiatives like the Belarus Farm mechanisation has made it possible for the sector to hit the target of US$8,3 billion in 2021.
“We are now expecting this sector to grow to US$13.75 billion by 2025. Each time you see a Belarus tractor, low bed or combine harvester going about operations in our fields, behind is the AFTRADE.
“Today we pride of setting new records in agricultural output every season despite being faced by many challenges,” said Dr Masuka.
President Mnangagwa engaged his Belarusian counterpart, President Alexander Lukashenko, in 2018 to support the farm mechanisation programme through the supply of farm equipment and training of local farmers in cultivation, seeding, irrigation and crop harvesting.
President Lukashenko made his first-ever visit to Zimbabwe in 2023 to further enhance economic co-operation between the two countries.
As bilateral relations between Harare and Minsk continue to deepen, the country has now managed to expand its agricultural equipment under phased farm mechanisation facilities.
Zimbabwe currently has a fleet of 13 486 tractors and 303 combine harvesters, which is a marked improvement from 7 000 tractors in 2019.
For continuity, Belarus, in agreement with Zimbabwe, has since established a company, BiSON Agro Machinery which is under AFTRADE, in Harare and Masvingo to offer after-sales services for the equipment.
Online Reporter