Maravi

(HERALD) Success of agriculture depends on concerted efforts — Official

Success of agriculture depends on concerted efforts — Official
Herald Reporter

GOVERNMENT wants to see a massive production of all grains through Operation Maguta and the operation would only succeed with the collective efforts of all the people, a senior official has said. Addressing war veterans and people in Mudzi District last Friday, head of the Operation Maguta Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba said there was need for full utilisation of the land to produce food.

"We are currently distributing seeds and the success of the agricultural season depends on our efforts," he said.

He said war veterans and other people who benefited from the land reform programme should be on the forefront of producing food, both for feeding the nation and generation of foreign currency. Brig Gen Nyikayaramba said the sanctions imposed on the country by Britain and its allies were a result of the land reform programme.

He said when some of the white commercial farmers were leaving their farms, they destroyed irrigation and farming equipment and infrastructure in a bid to sabotage the land reform programme. "We need to be determined because we are our own liberators. We have reached the apex of our struggle and we need to remain united.

"Divided we fall and united we stand," he said.

Brig Gen Nyikayaramba said the Western countries had used different tactics to destroy culture, not only in Zimbabwe but also in some other African countries.

"Our culture must prevail. Let us not allow them to destroy our culture since they have used various tactics to dislodge the Africans," he said.

Brig General Nyikayaramba said the country’s leadership had a vision and those nations without vision would "perish".

Operation Maguta, which is meant to improve the country’s food security, was launched in September 2005. The operation receives financial support from the Government in an effort to increase agricultural output.

Members of the army and other security forces, working in collaboration with local administrative structures supervise the projects with the ultimate objective of increasing productivity on farms, thus guaranteeing food security.

Addressing chiefs in Victoria Falls last month, Brig Gen Nyikayaramba said Government was taking national food security seriously.

This came after Government had identified about 1,25 million hectares of land to be put under Operation Maguta this summer farming season and completed the rehabilitation of another 21 irrigation schemes countrywide to boost agricultural production and bolster national food security.

The irrigation schemes were part of the 10-year-plan to put more than 600 000 hectares under irrigation, were now ready for commissioning, while the procurement of inputs and land preparation was now in progress.

Labels: AGRICULTURE, IRRIGATION, OPERATION MAGUTA, THE HERALD

posted by MrK @ 10:42 AM