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(HERALD) Farm mechanisation gets another boost

Farm mechanisation gets another boost
By Tabitha Mutenga

GOVERNMENT has acquired more state-of-the-art farming equipment from China for distribution to farmers under the Farm Mechanisation Programme. The equipment includes tractors, seed drills, roam disc harrows, combine harvesters and irrigation equipment.

In an interview yesterday, the Minister of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation, Dr Joseph Made, said mechanisation was an ongoing programme meant to ensure maximum production and food security in line with the gains of the Land Reform Programme.

"We are grateful to our Chinese colleagues as the consignment of machinery and equipment is now in the country and being assembled to complement the previous mechanisation phases and prepare for the next phase.

"We have received 2 000 precise seed drilling planters and another 2 000 roam disc harrows for land preparations," Dr Made said.

The Government continues to order related farming machinery from China for land preparation, planting and harvesting.

The seed drills are used for planting wheat, soyabean, sorghum and other small grains.

"These implements came at the right time as the country is preparing for the winter season. We need this precise, matching and appropriate equipment as it is critical in achieving high yields," he said.

However, the machinery needs the right fertilizers and the correct formulations of fertilizer to achieve the necessary yields.

The minister stressed that care had been taken to ensure that the machinery’s design amd specifications were compatible with Zimbabwean conditions.

Government will continue to receive assorted equipment from Europe, the Middle East and Far East for the tractors that are already in the country to operate holistically.

Besides machinery for land preparations, Government has also received 2 000 tractors and 175 combine harvesters. This is in addition to thousands of other pieces of machinery so far distributed to farmers countrywide under phases one, two and currently three.

"This only proves the magnitude of the mechanisation programme, which came through meticulous planning by the Government, the central bank and the suppliers."

Since the main focus of the mechanisation programme is to modernise agriculture, communal and small-scale farmers would receive smaller tractors and implements.

"The resolution of the ministry, therefore, comes to a full circle to capacitate farmers with the necessary machinery."

The irrigation equipment from China and Iran was now in place and the Department of Irrigation was working around the clock to rehabilitate the irrigation infrastructure in the country.

The pumps received would enable the Government to resuscitate flood irrigation, as the system is suitable for small farmers because it is cheap and does not need much electricity as it uses canals.

"The system is very effective from an energy cost point and it will enable us to resuscitate the small irrigation schemes in the country," Dr Made said.

"Training and retraining of users of the equipment will be sponsored by Fiscorp, a subsidiary of the RBZ, Ministry of Mechanisation and the private sector with the help of suppliers of various machinery.

"Training is critical in building up the capacity of the farmers to repair and maintain equipment," Dr Made said.

The ministry would also contract local companies to manufacture tractor trailers for tractors that were distributed without the trailers.

"Companies should, therefore, gear themselves for this task, but the cost quotations should be reasonable."

Dr Made appealed to all agricultural extension officers to remain focused and work towards the goal of achieving maximum production.

"Farmers should be trained on calibration and the building of infrastructure to store the machinery, repeated training and demonstration exercises on how to use the equipment will definitely give us the returns that we hope to achieve," he said.

Dr Made said the just-ended Zimbabwe International Trade Fair had also brought up some suppliers with Brazilian links and that soon machinery and equipment from that country would feature in "our mechanisation programme’’.

Labels: CHINA, JOSEPH MADE, LAND REFORM, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 10:58 PM