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The visit to China follows President Mugabe’s request to President Hu Jintao contained in a letter he wrote to his Chinese counterpart.
“The rains have started and the farmers are crying. This is a cry I have brought to you, the cry of my country which needs assistance,” Mr Charamba quoted the President as having told Mr Xi.
According to Mr Charamba, President Mugabe explained: “The effects of the sanctions limit us in a dramatic way. Our capacity to transform our economy and resources thereby creating employment for our people is limited.”
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The President told Mr Xi that modest investments friendly countries had made in Zimbabwe had helped in some way, but the effects of the United States and European Union illegal embargo, which is renewed yearly, continued to hamper progress.
He said Zimbabwe could soon start seeing a steady flow of resources that would capacitate it from diamond sales following the recent certification by the Kimberly Process for the country to sell its gems from the Marange fields.
However, President Mugabe said presently the diamond revenue was being limited or delayed because of inhibitions from the US and Europe.
Mr Charamba said Mr Xi pledged that his country would do its best to help Zimbabwe and indicated that specific details would be discussed with the Chinese Export and Import Bank.
“China firmly supports you, your Excellency and the Zimbabwean people in your endeavours to uphold your sovereignty and independence and in your just struggle for freedom to choose a development path that is consistent with your conditions,” he quoted Mr Xi responding to Cde Mugabe.
Soon after meeting Mr Xi, the Zimbabwean delegation held talks with the president of the China Exim Bank, Mr Li Ruogu and senior bank officials.
Speaking to Zimbabwean journalists after the talks, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made, described the meeting as fruitful.
He said the meeting agreed that as a matter of urgency, Zimbabwe should do the paperwork to meet the requirements of the Chinese to secure the loan facilities.
He said this involved holding discussions with input suppliers in Zimbabwe and the farmers themselves who are obliged to produce and must be made to understand that the inputs are not for free.
Asked if the assistance would not be late, Minister Made was hopeful the season could still be salvaged given that more rains were expected in the second part of the season.
“I have always said let’s separate farming from agriculture. Farming is the real thing while agriculture is what you get in textbooks. Fine, it is always said the season starts on the 15th of November but in the first half of this season the rains will be less and increase in the second part. We must then not discourage our farmers from planting because they will not be late,” he said.
Minister Made said the immediate focus was on the current season while discussions for long-term deals will follow later.
President Mugabe also met Minister of the International Department in the Communist Party of China Mr Wang Jiarui and the president of the China Development Bank Mr Jiang Chaoliang.
Online Reporter