Show ends on high note

Sunday Mail Reporter

THE 109th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show ended last night, with the event characterised by a huge turnout.

The event opened on Monday and ran under the theme “Technology, Innovation, Modernisation; Adopt, Accentuate, Accelerate.”

It was officially opened by President Mnangagwa on Friday. Over 250 000 people are estimated to have attended the 6-day event, with 530 exhibitors participating, compared to last year’s 537.

In his keynote address, President Mnangagwa called on stakeholders to adopt modern technology in agriculture.

“I call upon players in the agriculture sector to facilitate the use of innovative solutions to enhance agricultural productivity,” he said.

“Aspects such as block chain financing, crowd farming, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, satellite and drone analytics and other modern-based services should be pursued.”

The President challenged captains of industry to come on board and be proactive in supporting the agriculture industry.

“To attain Vision 2030, we cannot afford to have idle, unproductive or underutilised land,” he said.

“Equally, our captains of industry and commerce must be proactive, by supporting agriculture and its attendant value chains.

“Under the Second Republic, there cannot be a ‘them and us’ mentality. We will achieve sustainable economic growth by working together across all sectors.”

After 108 successful editions, the Harare Agricultural Show has been rebranded the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.

Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS) president Mr Ngoni Kudenga said this development is in line with the society’s growth focus.

“As we traverse this memorable journey, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society, having been in existence for 124 years, and following extensive consultations, saw it necessary to truly reflect the national character of the Harare Agricultural Show,” he said.

“In this vein, the last Harare Agricultural Show was in 2018. This show has since been rebranded into the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.”

Show-goers acknowledged the high-quality exhibitions.