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IN Zimbabwe our main problem is on policy implementation, a senior Government official has said.
The Minister of State Affairs for Manicaland Province, Cde Mandi Chimene, made these remarks last Friday at the launch of the Manicaland Agricultural Business Forum Trust in Mutare.
She urged the association not to go to bed after the launch, which often was the case with several brilliant projects initiated in Zimbabwe previously.
“In Zimbabwe our biggest problem is on policy implementation. We have good programmes and policies, but implementation is very slow.
“So many of our programmes have been copied in other countries and have become successful, but in our case there are several programmes gravely needed for economic recovery taking too long before implementation.
“I hope as Manicaland Agricultural Business Forum Trust you will not just launch this initiative today and go home to sleep.
“Manicaland should make a difference under ZimAsset (Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation) and push for developmental projects throughout the province,” she said.
Minister Chimene said Zimbabwe was an agro-based economy that had the potential to overturn its current economic impasse by maximising productivity of its non-genetically modified products currently in high demand on the international market.
She urged farmers in horticulture to advance farming sweet potatoes and yams, which have a good market in China especially if not genetically modified.
On the local market Cde Chimene said there was an unsatisfied market for indigenous chickens, better known as road-runners, but very few farmers are taking up the projects.
“As we intend to twin with Anhui province in China let us think big as a province on potential lucrative projects.
“We have good soils here and flourishing tobacco farming projects, so why not even open our own auction floor in Rusape?
“It is time we grow as a province and as a country. People want economic change, so as government it is high time we bring that on the table,” said Minister Chimene.
She, however, urged farmers and businesspeople not to lie on their backs crying to government but to be innovative in the absence of loans from banks.
She said public and private partnerships were quick-wins alternatives that individuals should take up to maximise productivity in the wake of liquidity constraints.
MABF was registered as a Trust in September last year and initiated as a platform that would co-ordinate agribusiness firms and representatives in Manicaland to play an active role nationally and international.
MABF chairman Mr Enock Mbendani said the trust would be the conduit between Government and private sector to improve the broad commercial and sustainable agribusiness environment in the province which ranges from tea, coffee, macadamia, poultry, timber and bananas, to mention a few.
He said MABF encouraged and promoted a value chain approach to issues which differed from the ‘‘specific interests approach’’ by farmers unions and other business representatives.
“MABF will create dialogue platforms and become the conduit for public and private sector partnerships. It will rope in the private sector in the agribusiness sector in the province with focus on Zim-Asset.
“We will serve the broader and common over-arching business interests of agricultural producers, agribusiness firms and service providers in Manicaland,” said Mr Mbendani.
National Association of Non Governmental Organisation Manicaland provincial co-ordinator Mr Taurai Nyandoro said contract farming was another solution in PPPs to boost Zim-Asset in the wake of limited funding.
“I feel the generality of Zimbabwe has embraced Zim-Asset but as Government there is need for more technical support and follow-up at grassroots level to make it a success,” said Mr Nyandoro.
Online Reporter