Maravi

(HERALD) Govt to provide more agric equipment: Made

Govt to provide more agric equipment: Made
Herald Reporter

GOVERNMENT is working towards providing more machinery and equipment to various agricultural sub-sectors to ensure the country regains its breadbasket status, a Cabinet minister has said. In an interview, the Minister of Agriculture Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation, Cde Joseph Made, said although the Government has launched phases one to three of the farm mechanisation programme, the country still needs more machinery to complete the empowerment process.

"We want to make sure that we equip farmers with more machinery, equipment, skills and ideas on how to look at idle capacity so that it can be utilised.

"Any item that lies idle, be it natural resources, minerals or labour, must be converted to value so that we have food security which leads to industrial growth, resulting in more exportable items in order for the country to earn foreign currency.

"Today under the farm mechanisation programme, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is now undertaking a very serious audit to look at the machinery and equipment distributed to farmers. Some who might not be utilising it will be taught how to fully utilise the machinery and equipment."

He said the process would also help RBZ adjust to meet the demands of farmers. The Government launched the first phase of the farm mechanisation programme in June 2007 to enhance agricultural production, which was then being hampered by the shortage of various implements.

The second phase started in October of the same year while phase three was launched in March this year.

The programme is expected to go beyond 2010.

Labels: JOSEPH MADE, MECHANISATION, RBZ, TRACTORISATION, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 4:55 PM