Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in VICTORIA FALLS
ZIMBABWE is seeking about US$1,42 billion in investment across eight priority agricultural value chains as Government moves to position agriculture as a commercial driver of economic growth, industrialisation and employment.
The investment opportunities, identified under the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation investment framework, cover maize, soya bean, sunflower, blueberries, broilers, eggs, beef and dairy.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira told the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) Zimbabwe Global Summit in Victoria Falls yesterday that the sector should increasingly be viewed as an investable industry capable of generating commercial returns while contributing to national development.
“Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector presents substantial opportunities for domestic and international investment,” he said.
The investment opportunities, he said, extended beyond primary production to irrigation, mechanisation, aggregation, storage, processing, logistics, agricultural finance, insurance, technology and export-oriented value chains.
“Agriculture should not be viewed only as a sector requiring public expenditure. It should also be viewed as an investable sector capable of generating commercial returns while contributing to national development,” he said.
The push comes as Government seeks to accelerate agricultural transformation by increasing productivity, strengthening value addition and integrating smallholder farmers into formal markets.
Deputy Minister Marapira said agricultural investment had wider economic implications because production generated demand for inputs, machinery, irrigation equipment, transport, storage, finance, insurance, processing, packaging and marketing.
“Our objective must therefore be to develop agricultural value chains in which value is created at every stage — from production, aggregation and processing to distribution and export,” he said.
He said private capital would be critical to complement public sector resources, with Government focusing on creating an enabling policy and infrastructure environment.
“Government recognises that agricultural transformation cannot be financed by the public sector alone. Private capital, financial institutions, development partners and farmers must all play complementary roles.”
Financial institutions, Deputy Minister Marapira added, needed to develop products suited to agricultural production, while private investors could provide capital, technology, management expertise, market access and processing capacity.
He also called for greater use of mechanisms including value-chain financing, contract farming, credit guarantees and agricultural insurance to ensure that agricultural risks were shared among participants.
Beyond investment, Government is seeking to increase the amount of value retained within the country through agro-processing.
The national framework targets the share of agro-processed exports in total agricultural exports increasing to 40 percent by 2030, from 22 percent in 2023.
The Horticulture Recovery and Growth Plan also targets 60 percent of horticultural exports by value to be processed by 2030.
This is envisaged to create opportunities in agro-processing, food manufacturing, cold-chain infrastructure, packaging, warehousing, logistics, horticultural processing, livestock processing and agricultural input manufacturing.
“Beneficiation therefore provides an important bridge between agriculture and industrialisation,” he said.
He said the transformation should also benefit smallholder farmers, women and young people through access to markets, finance, technology, irrigation, extension services and reliable market information.
Young people, he said, could find opportunities in mechanisation services, digital agriculture, logistics, processing, marketing, financial services, input supply and agricultural technology.
“Agriculture can th erefore become a platform for entrepreneurship and employment across the entire value chain,” he said.
