Farming is what sustains economy — Mujuru
Farming is what sustains economy — MujuruHerald Reporter
FARMING plays a critical role in the country’s economic turnaround programme and should be adequately supported, Vice President Joice Mujuru has said. Cde Mujuru said farming would greatly improve if all the stakeholders worked together for a common good. The Vice President was speaking during a tour of Farmers’ World in Msasa yesterday where she viewed tractors and equipment that were recently imported by the company.
Farmers’ World managing director and Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union vice president Mr Edward Raradza showed Cde Mujuru around the company’s premises where she was shown the warehouse with tractors and other equipment that included disc harrows and planters. "Farming is what sustains the economy. Inflation haidzikire nemuromo, haidzikire nekukwidza maprices. Inodzikira nekurima," she said.
Cde Mujuru said if the country manages to produce more crops, that would go a long way in helping the country because some of the crops would be exported and the country would not waste foreign currency importing things like food. She said using machinery in agriculture would also increase production.
"To use machinery like tractors will increase yields. Uyu muroyi mumunda. Ukakwanisa kuwana tractor nezvekurimisa zvakakwana unotoziva kuti kana divisi ndatenga," she said.
Cde Mujuru said if more agricultural companies like Farmers’ World get assistance from agriculture financiers like Agribank, the economy would turn around. "Next season if we have two or three companies like this, being assisted by banks, ndozvinogona kuti tigone kutaura kuti upfumi hwenyika hwatanga kusanduka and people’s lives have also changed," she said.
She said the consistence showed by Farmers’ World should be appreciated because the company had strived to succeed despite the challenges.
Said Cde Mujuru; "I know that many others could have surrendered. You were never tired of coming to the President’s Office, VP Msika’s office and even in my office when I was still Minister of Water Resources."
She said at first, she thought the company was betting for a dead horse but now its ideas and plans have come to fruition.
Companies in other industries as manufacturing, she said, should also approach authorities if they want assistance.
"I know there are a lot who want to do mining. If they want the same support, they should come and we will give them the support," she said.
Cde Mujuru said it was sometimes problematic when companies came up with programmes that were not straightforward, wish-wash and that the leadership would not be comfortable in supporting clandestinely formed companies.
She said the economy was a victim of circumstances because different sectors were in some instances not pulling together but that was being addressed. Cde Mujuru said it did not help to point fingers at the private sector, banks and Government but it was important for all stakeholders to work together and Government was ready to support those that wanted to work hard.
"Idleness is a problem and we should stop thinking about small things," said the Vice President.
President Mugabe last week commissioned 424 tractors and other agricultural equipment worth US$25 million imported from China by Farmers’ World.
The tractors were procured under a loan facility guaranteed by the Government and are intended for lease to farmers, mainly contract tobacco farmers.
Zimbabwe has been faced with tillage power challenges that threatened to derail efforts to revive the country’s agricultural production.
Government, through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has moved in to avert a tillage crisis by directing immediate disbursement of tractors that were recently imported by the central bank to eight provinces where farmers were facing serious shortages of drought power.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, MECHANISATION, THE HERALD, ZIMBABWE
posted by MrK @ 8:16 PM
2 Comments:
This is the way to go. The Zambian government should take note. Mechanisation of agriculture is the way to go.
You have to think that the Soviets had a point when after their revolutions and freedom from feudalism, they focused on agriculture and mechanisation. The tractor practically became their national symbol.
I agree...
I have left some thoughts on national credit agency idea post on my blog.....
very doable!!!
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