Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
THE performance based contract system introduced by Government on personnel working for public entities and departments has helped to improve the working culture of staff, leading to attainment of set targets.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza said this during the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development provincial strategic planning workshop early this week.
Minister Mugadza said the province surpassed its target of cereal for the current summer season, which will go a long way in ensuring food security.
“The 2025 performance contracts for all Government officials have embedded progress trackers, which will measure progress in implementing the devolution agenda. This is a critical step towards ensuring that we are held accountable for our actions and remain focused on delivering people-driven results.
“It is essential, in this light, that we harness the synergies brought about by this stakeholder driven and whole-of-Government approach by the ministry, working together and leveraging our collective strengths and expertise to drive meaningful change to guarantee food self-sufficiency for our people and food sovereignty.
“The ministry is carrying out commendable work in driving new innovations that have revolutionised the country’s agriculture sector. The latest innovation in the form of Village, School, Youth and Vocational Training Colleges Business Units has taken the country by storm, and is an undisputable strategy to spread income security to every household in Zimbabwe.
“The determined efforts have not gone unnoticed, and I encourage you to continue pushing the boundaries until every village, community, home and Zimbabwean is food secure. This will fulfill President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s desire that no-one and no place should ever be left behind.
“The ministry plays a vital role in spearheading the food and nutrition security thematic area in the National Development Strategy (NDS1), and I am proud of the noticeable strides that have been achieved. However, we urge that you do not rest on your laurels, but commit to accelerating the achieved progress even furthermore.
“In the current season, our Pfumvudza updates are impressive. We have prepared 1 611 141 million plots, exceeding our target by 12 percent. Our target for maize alone this season was 265 000 hectares, and we have achieved 273 031 hectares, surpassing our target by three percent. The excellent rains that we have received so far are a premonition for good harvests, a great pointer to food independence this year for all Zimbabweans,” said Minister Mugadza.
Director Agricultural Technical and Extension Services, Mrs Kundai Makuku said the decentralisation of strategic planning sessions will help to equip all ministry staff in province and districts with vital knowledge of their expected inputs and contributions.“We are on devolution exercise where we seek to decentralise our strategic plans to provincial level.
“This is important as it seeks to focus at provinces so that they follow up on their production activities and aware of their targets.
“Provinces should produce to their maximum capacities. All the departments with operations in this province are represented and this will go a long way in facilitating monitoring,” said Mrs Makuku.
Online Reporter