Tips on tractor maintenance
Friday, 13 July 2012 11:43
Agriculture Reporter
Here are 10 easy steps to tractor longevity
1. Never extend oil life past one year. It is okay to leave last season’s oil in the system during winter if you are not going to be using your equipment but be sure to change before its first use in spring. Oil is vital for functions like lubrication of all working engine parts, prevention of corrosion, protection against rust and wear and maintaining a clean engine.
2. Check hydraulic, transmission and rear end case fluid levels. A tiny bit of dirt can ruin the hydrostatic transmission or the hydraulic cylinder seals, so you will want to check your hydraulic system. Wipe off the filler cap and filler tube, then re-fill the hydraulic system carefully.
3. Clean or replace filters because the spring and summer seasons are often dry and dusty. You should also change your tractor’s air filter. Check the fuel filters and oil filters and when applicable, you will want to check your hydraulic system filters. Go ahead and change any filters that appear dirty as it is just good preventive maintenance and is cost effective.
4. Do not overlook the battery. Test each battery cell’s electrolyte level with a hydrometer. If necessary, re-charge or replace the battery.
5. Check safety features. Check the brakes and brake pads to make certain they are not slipping or grabbing. Check tyres to guarantee they are properly inflated and inspect all lights to make sure they are working properly.
6. Inspect cable connections. Check the spark plugs and change them if necessary. Pay special attention to glow plugs, if applicable. Make sure all starter connections are secure and have not corroded. Tighten any loose connections, but be careful not to over tighten. Do the same for the generator and modify the tension in the driving belt.
7. Make sure the engine is adequately lubricated. Lubrication guidelines will be found in your equipment owner’s manual.
8. Flush and clean the radiator. If you did not flush the radiator last autumn, do so this spring. Also gently vacuum or blow out debris that may restrict airflow from the radiator coils.
9. Tighten and repair loose bolts. Fix leaks, tighten wheel plugs and re-torque to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Check for loose bolts, leaks, worn belts, hoses and listen for any suspicious rattles to guarantee your safety as well as the reliability of your equipment.
10. Clean and restore attachments. Clean all scraper blades. Sharpen the cutting blade on any mowing equipment at the beginning of spring, then again before the first mowing. Check any other attachments and implements. Inspect for and remove any rust then re-touch as necessary.
l Ministry of Agriculture
Labels: AGRICULTURE, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Zimbabwe to acquire farming equipment from Brazil
Tuesday, 23 August 2011 02:00
Martin Kadzere Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE is set to acquire irrigation equipment and various farm machinery from Brazil worth nearly US$100 million under the Food for Africa Programme, to boost the country's agricultural sectorThis was revealed by Tourism and Hospitality Minister Walter Mzembi and Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Tapiwa Mashakada, who were part of the delegation that was in Brazil last week to appraise investors on Zimbabwe's investment opportunities.
Minister Mzembi was the head of delegation, which comprised representatives from various public and private business institutions.
The Food for Africa programme deals with lines of credit, increase in food production and facilitation of farm machinery and equipment.
"We will have a US$98 million line of credit coming from the Brazilians and this shows the strong bilateral relations between the two countries," said Minister Mzembi. Minister Mashakada also confirmed the facility.
BRAZIL AND ZIMBABWE
* Brazil considers investing in Zimbabwe
A source close to the deal said Brazil would supply Zimbabwe with farm equipment, which include tractors, combine harvesters and irrigation equipment worth US$98 million. The farm equipment will be earmarked for both small scale and commercial farmers. Both countries are now finalising the repayment period and rate of interest.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made and secretary Mr Ngoni Masoka were reluctant to comment.
While the Zimbabwe delegation was in Brazil, its international advisor in the Ministry of Agrarian Development Mr Francesco Pierri was in the country and pledged to support the country's land reform.
Mr Pierri, who was leading the Brazilian delegation to Zimbabwe, had visited the country as a follow up to their first visit two months ago.
"We visited several schemes and agricultural projects and we have seen the achievement of land reform programme.
"We are pleased to work with Zimbabwe as a partner from whom we have a lot to learn," said Mr Pierri.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, LAND REFORM, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION, WALTER MZEMBI
Read more...
New finance scheme for farmers
By Walter Muchinguri
A local tractor and implements assembly company, Motira (Private) Limited, in conjunction with Agribank, CBZ Bank, Interfin and ZB Banks, has unveiled a finance scheme to enable farmers to purchase tractors.
The scheme entails payment of a deposit of 30 percent of the value of the tractor by the farmer’s bank of choice out of the four, with the balance being paid over a period of between six and 24 months. The finance institution will then give a guarantee to the supplier for the period and balance agreed upon.
“We have entered into arrangements with four local banks and yes, they have been guaranteeing the purchase of tractors by farmers.
“The 30 percent deposit is very competitive as most schemes available in the market request deposits of over 40 percent,” said Motira managing director Mr Hossein Fazlollahi.
He added that the response so far had been overwhelming.
“We are very pleased by the understanding of our customers to date, that commercial sustainability of the tractor project derives from them paying their 30 percent deposit and balance in installments as agreed with and guaranteed by the bank of their choice,” said Mr Fazlollahi.
He said the deposit is meant to revolve the scheme so that it remains sustainable.
The company assembles seven models ranging from the 47 HP to the 110HP (4X4) of the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company tractors also known locally as the Massey Ferguson brand.
It also assembles implements such as disc harrows, ploughs and maize planters.
The company also offers warranties on its tractors besides the after sales service support.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, IRAN TRACTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Tata: Best farm truck
This past weekend was nothing like my usual weekends. I had to be strapped to the seat of what I would describe as the best farm truck any farmer could buy. On Friday afternoon I got the keys to the Tata 207 DI EX from Mr Singhal, who is the general manager of Blackwood Hodge, the distributors of the Tata brand in Zimbabwe.
At first I thought what have I gotten myself into. Being the city chic that I am, there are certain things which I like to have in a vehicle like aircon so that my make up doesn’t run, electric windows, so that my nail don’t chip from winding them up and down (a manicure doesn’t come cheap you know).
By the end of the day, this diesel truck and myself were well acquainted that I could actually do a sales pitch to those who asked me about the pros and cons of the truck.
Tata has introduced this workhorse onto the market and the pricing is not bad at all.
At US$17 600 you will be driving all the way to your farm, in a low maintenance one tonne truck. When I drove it, I actually got to picture scenarios on a farm probably where this truck could be used to carry small livestock like goats and sheep and also feeds.
Lately, everyone I talk to is involved in one farming project or another and I tell you as much as we are all buying sedans from Japan at low prices, they won’t carry your cattle feeds to the farm, but this Tata will.
Personally I felt that city drivers weren’t for this truck because you don’t really get to push it to its maximum capacity, so I drove to my friend’s farm just after Mount Hampden to deliver feeds.
I tell you the moment you turn onto that dirt road, you get to see that this car was made for rough and hard to handle terrain.
Even though it’s a 4x2, it handles quite well on the gravel road.
With a few ditches and dongas on the farm road, I easily crossed them by driving at an angle so that one wheel at a time goes into the donga, this helped because the other three wheels have traction. I guess you don’t need a 4x4 at times if you got skills . . . ha ha.
The 207 has strong torque characteristics, serving up 180 Nm @ 1500 rpm.
It runs quietly and smoothly in combination with the five-speed manual.
Off-road the five-speed manual is sure to appeal to novice off-roaders, or those who often drive trails in convoy and enjoy impromptu stops on gradient surfaces.
It’s easy to drive, with mechanical toughness that encourages low gear, full throttle use when necessary without fear of any durability issues
The upside to this vehicle is that it is good on the diesel with a 60 litre tank, its been made for goods transport since it’s a one tonner, there is no radio and it just sits two people.
Who needs the radio when you are delivering goods or ferrying livestock?
Also the plus about just two seats is such that drivers do not pick up hitch hickers with company vehicles!
The downside is that there is no air con and you only get your seat belts, no airbags, EBD or ABS, just nacuum assisted independent hydraulic brakes. Overall it’s a good truck which is necessary in any fleet as a workhorse.
It’s priced right too, but then again seeing that India is fast becoming a world giant in vehicle manufacturing, most vehicles coming from this manufacturer will be fairly priced.
Tata is the largest volume seller in India and is fast catching up with the international market, and as the one-tonne transport and logistics solution to most mining operations, small business enterprises and rural farmers, Tata is a vital cog in the economic dynamism of not only India, but the world. So there you have it, where can you find a one tonnne truck brand new for just US$17 600.
Contact the sales team at Blackwood Hodge along Simon Mazorodze Road to arrange for a test drive.
Now a bit of information on the Tata Motors so that you can see the credibility of their portfolio and how much of the motoring industry stake they have control over.
Tata Motors is India's largest automobile company, with consolidated annual revenues of US$20 billion.
Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain.
Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, the business comprising the two iconic British brands. It also has an industrial joint venture with Fiat in India.
Tata Motors is also a market leader in commercial vehicles and among the top three in passenger vehicles.
It is also the world's fourth largest truck manufacturer and the second largest bus manufacturer. Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and South America.
The company, formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, began manufacturing commercial vehicles in 1954 with a 15-year collaboration agreement with Daimler Benz of Germany.
It has, since, developed Tata Ace, India’s first indigenous light commercial vehicle, Tata Safari, India’s first sports utility vehicle, Tata Indica, India’s first indigenously manufactured passenger car, and Nano, the world's cheapest car.
Tata Motors has joint ventures with Marcopolo, the Brazil-based maker of bus and coach bodies, and with Fiat Auto (to build a commercial vehicle at Fiat's facilities in Córdoba, Argentina).
So varimi, your season is here and this is the right time to buy a good farm truck like this Tata 207 DI EX for your farm. Till next week, be safe.
Fact D Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows and rallies, & written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on missjeke@gmail.com
Labels: BLACKWOOD HODGE, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
No more free lunch, says Made
IN line with the land reform programme, the Government is now implementing a new mechanisation phase that deals with a farmer’s specific requirements while seeking to boost production and value addition to the produce through irrigation development and strategic marketing. Herald Features Editor Isdore Guvamombe (IG) talks to Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made (JM) on this and other issues.
IG: Minister, what exactly is your ministry doing at the moment?
JM: Firstly, let me explain that agriculture mechanisation and irrigation development must be seen in the context of President Mugabe’s strategic intention to take the land reform programme as a process to empower our people. The land reform gave our people the chance to own land and it is a process that is not complete. It is on-going.
So we must immediately address issues of production and productivity.
Direction was given that we modernise agriculture if we are to empower those who benefited from the land reform programme. We must give them the tools of the trade; we must give them the right equipment for proper and maximum production.
You might also be interested to know that in 2004 we looked at Zimbabwe and its 30 years horizon of agriculture and came up with a strategy. That strategy is what anchors the activity that we are now working on.
IG: Is that the time you were with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe?
JM: Yes, RBZ worked well that time, with us giving the technical expertise of what was required by the new farmer, the communal farmer, the old resettlement farmer, and the small scale farmer.
IG: Has RBZ handed over the reins to you?
JM: Yes, the RBZ has handed over the programme to this ministry.
IG: So there is a new phase of mechanisation?
JM: Yes, but let me quickly emphasise that there is going to be nothing for free this time. The farmer has to pay a certain deposit first.
Where something is not for free people become more responsible. I am not saying we are abandoning our farmers but they certainly should pay something, this time around. The equipment coming is not for free; it is for serious farmers, small or big. You must make a down payment of some sort and I know our serious farmers want to pay.
IG: Is this a lesson from previous phases?
JM: We have to learn from previous experience. What you have not worked for is easy to destroy or dispose off. Of course, I know our farmers have problems but some of the equipment has been deliberately vandalised or stolen in an act of sabotage.
Some of the things that happened to the farmers were meant to short-change them.
IG: At what stage is the new phase?
JM: With immediate effect needy farmers should indicate their machinery, equipment and irrigation requirements at district and provincial level.
Not at the head office in Harare, no! All activities and assessments must be done at district level so that the assessment is a reflection of the real situation on the ground.
I don’t want anyone to apply in excess of his or her actual requirement. We want our field officers to check on the ground.
We risk giving a small farmer a huge pump or motor, we want to give the right size, of course with room for expansion.
We are now busy collecting information on the needs of the farmer. Specific needs in their totality as regards the type of equipment and size the individual farmer requires as well as the size of irrigation. There is no need to give someone something too big for a small project; of course we must leave room for expansion.
IG: Is irrigation becoming our main thrust?
JM: Yes, irrigation should be the main anchor so that we increase our land utilisation throughout the year. The bulk of our crop will remain our summer crop but we want to increase effective winter period production. Summer is having problems with climate change, change in weather patterns.
Wherever we are going in search of new equipment we are looking at effective energy saving equipment. Energy is a serious matter so we are looking at centre pivots, drip and flood irrigation.
If you bring equipment that requires a lot of electricity you have problems.
IG: Where is the equipment?
JM: We are currently undertaking visits to other countries to negotiate for appropriate resources and appropriate technology.
IG: Which countries are helping you?
JM: This is not a secret. Leading countries supporting us technically and strategically are China, India, Brazil, Iran, Russia, Belarus, Indonesia, Libya and Egypt. These countries have made it clear that they want to strategically help us develop.
As we are talking we have 10 specialists from China at national level and we are soon going to have 10 Chinese experts for each province in Zimbabwe.
Each of the countries we are visiting we have specific areas of interest in relation to infrastructure, cotton, tobacco and livestock production. We have a serious thrust for food security crop production. We also need to look at the global market and bring our produce to this market for our country to be self-sufficient.
We have a team of experts leaving for Brazil next week. My recent visit to Brazil was very constructive. It gave us an opportunity to see how strategically the Government does not give chance to failure when there are other options.
It gave us an insight into how to develop infrastructure for grain and crop marketing, the production of machinery and equipment so as the marketing of agriculture commodities.
We saw in Brazil how three ministries related to agriculture marketing, production and fisheries get details on the day to day running of the projects through state agencies.
The ministries are involved in the management of things and make the farmers gain maximum profits. This is why as Zimbabwe we are now advocating the reintroduction of product marketing boards to avoid what we are seeing in tobacco, cotton, beef and dairy sectors and in the running of irrigation schemes.
Strategically, Zimbabwe is not far away from these things, the problem is that they are on paper and we need to implement them.
IG: Like the case in tobacco marketing?
JM: If you look at what is happening in the tobacco marketing and cotton is analysed, you will see our efforts going down the drain.
We have middlemen, that instead of farmers getting better prices, there are actually many problems in transport and packaging material. The marketing and pricing is what should give the farmers the impetus to go back to the fields.
IG: What should be done?
JM: The Government must take an interventionist approach so that as our farmers grow, we protect them, without necessarily overprotecting them.
We have to return to very strong strategic intervention, even in partnership with the private sector.
We cannot leave the farmers to the vagaries of those we deposed off the land. They want to come back and destroy our farmers, our country and our sovereignty. Agriculture has to take a leading role in the defence of the country, through food security and employment.
This is the basis on which the youth are supported and empowered.
IG: Which other sector has great potential in Zimbabwe’s agriculture?
JM: Livestock production. When I was in Brazil recently, I noticed that Brazil has 200 million head of cattle. Yes, I mean 200 million head of cattle. In Zimbabwe our calving rate is just around 35 percent when it should be between 60 and 85 percent.
IG: Why?
JM: Because we are not doing proper animal husbandry. We are not dipping our cattle enough, we are not de-worming our cattle and we are not feeding them well. We need to improve on that area.
We have cattle that do not conceive for up to two years. We also need to improve on dairy production. Livestock and poultry in particular have quick returns. So we are mechanising in that area.
We are not seeking to reinvent the wheel we want to learn from others. We have the potential because we have the land.
Back to Brazil we have signed a memorandum of co-operation in areas such as training, food security, rural development, research and extension services and technical assistance.
You should see the type of equipment from Brazil that will be displayed at the Harare Agricultural Show in August. It is good equipment.
Our meeting in Brazil concentrated on manufacturing and procurement of equipment for the small to medium dairy farmers too.
There is another great potential there.
Indonesia has done a lot about their slaughter-houses and with the infrastructure left by Cold Storage we surely should do something about it and develop.
Finally, in short, we are proceeding with mechanisation on specific farmer requirements and we are working with our technical partners to ensure that the vision of empowering the people becomes reality.
We now have enough wheat seed for two years and I am sure we are going towards the same direction in the production of maize seed.
With appropriate equipment, we will get there.
isadore.guvamombe *** zimpapers.co.zw
Labels: AGRICULTURE, DECENTRALIZATION, INTERVIEW, IRRIGATION, JOSEPH MADE, LAND REFORM, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Govt starts new farm equipment programme
By Isdore Guvamombe
Government has embarked on a new-look multi-million-dollar farm mechanisation and irrigation development scheme to complement the previous schemes and maximise agricultural production.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made yesterday said
this time around farmers would pay a deposit first before they get any implements. He said the equipment would be farmer-specific.
"Let me quickly emphasise that there is going to be nothing for free this time. The farmer has to pay a certain deposit first. Where something is not for free, people become more responsible.
"I am not saying we are abandoning our farmers, but they certainly should pay something this time around. The equipment coming is not for free, it is for serious farmers — small or big.
"You must make a down payment of some sort and I know our serious farmers want to pay,’’ said Minister Made.
He said needy farmers should start visiting district and provincial offices with their specific requirements for in situ assessment and that the decision to make farmers pay arose from lessons learnt from the past schemes.
"We have to learn from previous experience. What you have not worked for is easy to destroy or dispose of. Of course, I know our farmers have problems but some of the equipment has been deliberately vandalised or stolen in an act of sabotage. Some of the things that happened to the farmers were meant to shortchange them.
"With immediate effect, needy farmers should indicate their machinery, equipment and irrigation requirements at district and provincial level. Not at the head office in Harare, no!
"All activities and assessments must be done at district level so that the assessment is a reflection of the real situation on the ground.
"I don’t want anyone to apply in excess of his or her actual requirements.
"We want our field officers to check on the ground. We risk giving a small farmer a huge pump or motor. We want to give the right size, of course, with room for expansion,’’ he said.
Minister Made said the new scheme would be centred mainly on irrigation development, product value addition and strategic marketing.
"We are now busy collecting information on the needs of the farmer. Specific needs in their totality as regards the type of equipment and size the individual farmer requires as well as the size of irrigation. There is no need to give someone something too big for a small project, of course we must leave room for expansion.
"Yes, irrigation should be the main anchor so that we increase our land utilisation throughout the year. The bulk of our crop will remain our summer crop, but we want to increase effective winter period production. Summer is having problems with climate change.
"Wherever we are going in search of new equipment we are looking at effective energy-saving equipment. Energy is a serious matter so we are looking at centre pivots, drip and flood irrigation,’’ said Minister Made.
Labels: IRRIGATION, JOSEPH MADE, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Tsvangirai quizzed over Ahmadinejad boycott
By: TH-TZG
Posted: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:03 am
PRIME Minister and MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was yesterday grilled by Cabinet ministers from the other two parties in the inclusive Government for boycotting Islamic Republic of Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit last week.
The Iranian leader was in Zimbabwe on a two-day working visit during which he officially opened the 51st edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo last Friday.
On Thursday, MDC-T officials did not join other Government officials from Zanu-PF and MDC to welcome President Ahmadinejad and boycotted the subsequent tours of Modzone Garment Factory and Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries.
MDC-T ministers Giles Mutsekwa (Home Affairs) and Eliphas Mukonoweshuro (Public Service) were forced to attend the official signing of agreements made during the Sixth Session of the Zimbabwe-Iran Joint Commission held at State House in the evening.
Most senior MDC-T officials boycotted the ZITF official opening although mayors from the party attended.
Speaker of the House of Assembly Mr Lovemore Moyo was present, but said he was there in his official capacity and not as party chairman.
Zanu-PF and Mutambara formation MDC officials took them to task over the issue.
According to sources, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara led the questioning of PM Tsvangirai’s "grossly undiplomatic behaviour".
The PM reportedly denied that MDC-T ministers had snubbed President Ahmadinejad claiming that all his party officials in the inclusive Government were tied up elsewhere.
"The Prime Minister was asked to explain why they boycotted the visit.
"He denied that he boycotted saying he was attending to some other business without elaborating," a source said.
PM Tsvangirai’s spokesperson, Mr James Maridadi, yesterday declined to comment on the matter, but implied it had been discussed in Cabinet.
"I cannot comment on that, it is a Cabinet issue," Mr Maridadi, who only a few days back claimed Cabinet had set aside Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment laws, said.
DPM Mutambara said his view as DPM and a national politician was that the boycott was unwarranted as Zimbabwe and Iran shared a lot in common.
He said MDC-T was following the United States of America’s lead in arriving at their ill-thought position on Iran.
"Zimbabwe has no fight against Iran. Zimbabwe and Iran share a lot of history and tradition.
"We are both members of the Non-Aligned Movement and we have a history of anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism.
"Iran went through a revolution in 1979 and was able to build a strong industrial base based on science and technology and energy, so there is a lot to learn from Iran and there is potential for increased trade between Zimbabwe and Iran," he said.
DPM Mutambara said Iran, just like Zimbabwe, was operating under a regime of illegal Western-imposed sanctions and lessons could be drawn from their vast experience.
"As an African country, we have no business boycotting or going against other emerging markets such as Iran. The fight is between Iran and the US. We have no business participating in that fight.
"Even if we are beneficiaries of US generosity and even if we want to be friends with the US, that should not compromise our independence and sovereignty.
"We must make our decisions without what the Americans tell us," DPM Mutambara said.
He said Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was a close friend of the US, but had received President Ahmadinejad soon after his visit to Zimbabwe because he made independent decisions.
"The argument that Iran is a dictatorship should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.
"The US is friends with Saudi Arabia but it is not a democracy. It is friends with Kuwait but it is not a democracy.
"Hypocrisy and double standards are what define US foreign policy," he said.
Zimbabwe and Iran signed several investment deals during President Ahmadinejad’s visit. These were in areas of energy, industry, commerce and agriculture.
The Iranians have helped Zimbabwe establish a tractor manufacturing plant that is expected in the long run to service the whole Southern Africa region.
Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, COLOUR REVOLUTIONS, MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Veep gets poor farmers tractor
By Nyasa Times
Published: December 14, 2009
Vice-President Joyce Banda is alleged to have seized a tractor belonging to Blantyre Agriculture Development Division (ADD) which is meant for the poor within the division and placed it at her personal farm.
Secretary for Agriculture Andrew Daudi is reportedly failing to repossess the tractor from the second most powerful Malawian for fear of reprisals despite his juniors informing him of the situation.
“There used to be three tractors at the Blantyre ADD but the two broke down and we only remained with one. The tractors are lent out to smallholder farmers for small fee. Now the rains have started and we are just sending back the poor farmers,” a highly placed source in Blantyre ADD said.
Vice-President got the tractor two months ago and has paid nothing for the farming machine which normally generates government revenue over time during the rain season. “We understand the machine is placed somewhere at a farm in Zomba,” the source said.
But when contacted on phone recently, Vice President’s press secretary, Willie Zingani said he had no knowledge over the matter. Zingani also stressed that the VP “has no farm in Zomba”.
In a spirit of surprise, President Bingu wa Mutharika prior to May 19 general elections appointed Banda, then Foreign Affairs Minister as running mate. In Malawi, a running mate automatically becomes Vice-President should the presidential candidate win elections.
Labels: ANDREW DAUDI, JOYCE BANDA, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Veep gets poor farmers tractor
By Nyasa Times
Published: December 14, 2009
Vice-President Joyce Banda is alleged to have seized a tractor belonging to Blantyre Agriculture Development Division (ADD) which is meant for the poor within the division and placed it at her personal farm.
Secretary for Agriculture Andrew Daudi is reportedly failing to repossess the tractor from the second most powerful Malawian for fear of reprisals despite his juniors informing him of the situation.
“There used to be three tractors at the Blantyre ADD but the two broke down and we only remained with one. The tractors are lent out to smallholder farmers for small fee. Now the rains have started and we are just sending back the poor farmers,” a highly placed source in Blantyre ADD said.
Vice-President got the tractor two months ago and has paid nothing for the farming machine which normally generates government revenue over time during the rain season.
“We understand the machine is placed somewhere at a farm in Zomba,” the source said.
But when contacted on phone recently, Vice President’s press secretary, Willie Zingani said he had no knowledge over the matter.
Zingani also stressed that the VP “has no farm in Zomba”.
In a spirit of surprise, President Bingu wa Mutharika prior to May 19 general elections appointed Banda, then Foreign Affairs Minister as running mate. In Malawi, a running mate automatically becomes Vice-President should the presidential candidate win elections.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, ANDREW DAUDI, JOYCE BANDA, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Chiredzi cane farmers clinch deal
Masvingo Bureau
The Commercial Sugar-cane Farmers’ Association of Zimbabwe in Chiredzi has secured 200 tractors from a local firm in a multi-million-dollar farm mechanisation deal that will cushion some 600 indigenous cane producers in the low veld.
The tractors will be delivered in batches starting next week. Addressing hundreds of cane farmers at a meeting in Triangle at the weekend, association chairman Mr Admore Hwarare said the tractors would soon be delivered. Mr Hwarare said arrangements had been made for farmers to pay for the equipment over a five-year period at concessionary interest rates.
"We will soon take delivery of 200 tractors from Farmers’ World for cane farmers and it is our hope that these will go a long way in cushioning those whose operations were being hampered by lack of their own equipment.
"Many previously relied on hiring equipment from established milling companies whose charges are prohibitive.
"Our eventual goal is for each and every farmer to be independent in terms of equipment as we move towards consolidating the gains of the land reform programme.
"Arrangements have also been made for beneficiaries of the tractors to pay over a five-year period," said Mr Hwarare.
He stressed the importance of new farmers drastically increasing their sugar output and redeeming the Government’s decision to allocate them land in the capital-intensive industry that was previously a preserve of the white minority.
Mr Hwarare said indigenous farmers’ sugar output had plummeted to around 200 000 tonnes last year due to a myriad of problems, notably lack of equipment and other critical inputs such as seed and fertilizers.
Financial institutions have also been reluctant to support new cane farmers.
The cane farmers association chairman also revealed that they could contribute about 50 percent, or 300 000 tonnes, of cane per annum if given adequate support.
Labels: SUGAR CANE, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
IDC intensifies tractor joint venture bid
By Walter Muchinguri
THE Industrial Development Corporation has intensified its bid to implement a joint venture project between Zimbabwe and Iran to establish a tractor manufacturing plant, stalled last year at the height of economic challenges.
Officials from IDC and Motec Holdings left the country last week for Iran where they are engaging the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company and the Iran Foreign Investment Company. IDC’s public relations manager, Mr Derrick Sibanda said the trip had been necessitated by the fact that there was a change in management at ITMCO and IFIC during the period that the project had been dormant.
"It was essential that we make an official travel to Iran to engage the new management because it is different to the management that came here sometime last year.
"We also feel that the economic situation has improved since the coming of the inclusive Government and the issue of the country risk is almost non-existent, we envisage that our partners are more receptive to Zimbabwe as a country," he said.
The delegation is also hoping to secure the release of a US$4 million grant that was extended by the Iranian Government to the Zimbabwean Government to set up the tractor manufacturing business. The funds are crucial in the implementation of the projects in the initial stages.
Before progress on the project was stalled officials from the IDC, ITMCO and IFIC had in March last year signed a shareholding agreement for a joint tractor manufacturing company, Motira that was supposed to produce the tractors locally.
Motira was expected to initially assemble Massey Ferguson tractors from completely knocked down kits from Iran at Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries. before venturing into full-scale production on establishment of a foundry plant that would manufacture kits locally.
Apart from assembling, producing and selling tractors, Motira was also expected to offer after-sale service of the whole range of agricultural tractors and implements of the Massey Ferguson brand.
The foundry plant was targeted at producing about 5 000 units per annum in line with the capacity of the WMMI plant.
The venture was expected to boost production capacity at WMMI, which was currently down to 20 percent and that of other local companies.
ITMCO was given a 55 percent stake in Motira while IDC had a 45 percent stake although the shareholding would be reviewed at a later stage to take into consideration the country’s empowerment laws.
The issue of shareholding had been a sticky factor in the negotiations for the setting up of the tractor company.
At the time IDC’s finance manager, Mr Peter Madara and his chairman Dr Charles Utete signed on behalf of IDC while IFIC general manager Dr Mehdi Reza Darvishzadeh and ITMCO deputy general manager Mr Mirmohammad Hossein Kanani signed on behalf of their companies.
The ceremony was witnessed by the then Islamic Republic of Iran ambassador Mr Rasoul Momeni, Agriculture Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation Minister Dr Joseph Made and the then permanent secretaries for Agriculture Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation and Industry and International trade, Dr Shadreck Mlambo and Dr Christian Katsande respectively witnessed the signing ceremony.
Labels: DERRICK SIBANDA, IDC, IRAN, MANUFACTURING, MOTEC HOLDINGS, TRACTORISATION, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
Libya donates tractors to boost food production
January 3, 2009
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda after driving one of the tractors donated by the Libyan government. This was at State House during a hand over ceremony
Libya has given Zambia several tractors for boosting food production in the country.
Speaking at the occassion, Republican President Rupiah Banda said Zambia appreciates the friendship and brotherhood Libya has always extended to Zambia.
Mr. Banda observed that mechanized farming is key to addressing the challenges of food production in Zambia.
He said the country was currently in need of mechanical farming equipment such as tractors in order to address the challenges being faced as a result of the global financial credit crunch.
Mr. Banda also noted that government considers agriculture as one of the key alternatives to the mining sector following the fall in copper prices on the world market.
He said government is looking forward to receiving more mechanical agriculture equipment as earlier pointed out by the Libyan government to ensure the whole country benefits from the gesture.
Mr. Banda has since assured the Libyan government that the equipment will be well distributed around the country and be used for the intended purpose of boosting food
AGRICULTURE minister Brian Chituwo driving one of the tractors donated by the Libyan government
production in the country.
Among those that witnessed the official handover were Agriculture Minister Dr. Brian Chituwo, Presidential Affairs Minister Gabriel Namulambe and Special Political Advisor to the President Akashambatwa Mbikusita Lewanika.
Libyan Ambassador to Zambia Khalifa Omar Swiexi said the gesture is aimed at helping to develop the Zambian agricultural sector.
Mr. Swiexi said his country is committed to providing assistance to friendly countries like Zambia through the provision of mechanical equipment such as tractors and other agricultural equipment.
He said the gesture is also a symbol of the long standing relationship between the two countries for the purpose of establishing cooperation and the exploitation of the natural resources.
Mr. Swiexi who described the relations between the two countries as excellent expressed confidence that President Banda and his Libyan counterpart Colonel Muammar Gaddafi would continue to provide guidance in developing and enhancing the already existing relations between the two countries.
ZANIS
Labels: LYBIA, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
‘Mechanisation to focus on irrigation’
Herald Reporter
THE next phase of the agriculture mechanisation programme would focus on irrigation development, the Minister of Agricultural Engineeri-ng, Mechanisation and Irrigation Cde Joseph Made has said. He said the Government was engaged in talks with other countries to find the best way in which water bodies can be used to augment rain-fed agriculture.
He said there was need to strike a balance in the empowerment process to make sure farmers get adequate inputs and machinery for the country to retain its breadbasket status.
Cde Made said his ministry was consulting experts from China, India, Iran and Egypt to find suitable irrigation systems considering the affordability and energy requirements.
"We are working on improving yield per unit area and we also want to make sure that both the winter and summer crops follow the planting dates.
"We have also realised that rain water would never come in the right amounts at the right time so there is need for us to intervene with irrigation development.
"Our country usually suffers from mid-season droughts that usually occur in January and February so we need to plant our maize early and get our maize to tussle before that time using irrigation water," he said.
The Minister said irrigation also enables farmers to plant crops all- year round to raise the country’s food production.
Cde Made said the next stage must therefore be focused on the full development of irrigation water, choosing technology that is appropriate and sustainable and capping it all by skills development like training irrigation engineers, operators and the farmers on the overall repairs and maintenance of irrigation equipment.
He said the Government was going to further increase irrigation piping as most farmers have indicated that they needed irrigation material such as sprinklers and overhead irrigation equipment which was not provided for in the other phases.
Cde Made urged farmers to make their request to their district irrigation engineers or provincial irrigation engineers.
Labels: JOSEPH MADE, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
‘Farm mechanisation a continuous process’
Business Reporter
THE farm mechanisation programme would be a continuous process until the agricultural industry has been totally empowered, Minister of Agricultural Mechanisation Dr Joseph Made said on Wednesday. Officially, the launch of the fourth phase of the programme is in July but Dr Made said it was not only going to be limited to the phases but should be held with a long-term view since distribution and sourcing the equipment was currently ongoing.
Dr Made said that President Mugabe had already set the tone for empowerment at the UN Food Summit in Rome.
President Mugabe said people can help address the question of food security if they are given better access to natural resources and to that extent Government had taken measures to boost agricultural activity.
Government is aiming at providing the basic conditions for a largely self sustaining development of the agricultural subsector of mechanisation.
Tools, implements and powered machinery are essential and major inputs to agriculture, Dr Made said adding that the level, appropriate choice and subsequent proper use of these inputs has a direct and significant effect towards increasing productivity and on the whole achieving profitability.
"The global food crisis should not be taken lightly because as it stands now the prices of agricultural inputs and equipment has risen dramatically as countries gear up for the shortages," he said.
He added that Zimbabwe had a head start in preparing for its agriculture industry as compared to other countries.
A total of 1 500 tractors had been sourced for Phase 4 of the programme while Dr Made said the number of scotch carts had been increased to one million to accommodate those who did not receive in the previous phases.
Dr Made said the programme had assumed a broader perspective as it now included roam discs, seed drills, motor bikes and even on a smaller scale hand sprayers (knapsacks).
Seed drills were helpful for small grain planting where planting could be even and intensive and it was particularly helpful because it could be used for all types of small grains.
The assembling of the larger equipment had been done in Zimbabwe, not only providing employment but also giving locals the technical skills when service is required.
The assembling is headed by a team of Chinese military personnel under the ZimChina relations. A third of the consignment is coming from China.
The programme was not only limited to cover equipment but would also include other components, which contribute towards the realisation of the broader agricultural policy.
"We have also sourced herbicides, insecticides and dipping chemicals which cannot be divorced from mechanisation," said the minister.
Farm mechanisation was beneficial to every aspect of the society and was not only limited to the farming community.
Dr Made said the programme has also boosted earnings of companies like Zimplow, Gulliver, Steelnet and Tractive and even the indigenous companies.
Labels: FARMING, JOSEPH MADE, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
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
Read more...
Tractor firm to get first units from Iran
Business Reporter
THE
tractor manufacturing venture between the
Industrial Development Corporation,
Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company and the
Iran Foreign Investment Company is on course with the first tractor units expected in the country soon. IDC’s public relations manager Mr Derrick Sibanda said the three partners were finalising on a few technical aspects ahead of the arrival of the kits from Iran.
"The aspects have more to do with administrative issues relating to the project," he said. The three partners signed a shareholding agreement in March for the joint tractor manufacturing company, Motira, that would produce tractors locally.
Under the shareholders’ agreement, ITMCO owns a 55 percent stake in Motira while IDC has 45 percent although the shareholding would be reviewed at a later stage to take into consideration the country’s empowerment laws.
The signing ceremony facilitated the release of a US$4 million grant from the Iranian Government for the setting-up of the tractor manufacturing business through Motira.
Motira would initially be engaged in the assembly of Massey Ferguson tractors from completely knocked down (ckd) kits from Iran at Willowvale Mazda Motor Industry before venturing into full-scale production that includes the establishment of a foundry plant that would manufacture these kits locally.
Apart from assembling, producing and selling tractors, Motira would also offer after sale service of the whole range of agricultural tractors and implements of the Massey Ferguson brand.
The foundry plant was targeted at producing about 5 000 units per annum, this is in line with the capacity of the WMMI plant.
IDC demonstrated its capability in terms of tractor manufacturing when it assembled about 428 tractors for the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority. The tractor project was expected to increase the production capacity at WMMI, which is operating at 20 percent of its capacity.
Labels: TRACTORISATION
Read more...
‘I would rather you bought tractors’
By Andrew Lungu in Vubwi, Chadiza
PRESIDENT Mwanawasa has observed that he would have been much happier if some chiefs had opted to get tractors for farming rather than vehicles. He said chiefs could have used tractors for farming as well as hire them out to their subjects to increase food production in their areas. Dr Mwanawasa made the observation when he called on chiefs Mwangala, Mlolo, Zingalume and Pembamoyo at the Vubwi high school in Chadiza district yesterday.
The president also advised the chiefs to take good care of the vehicles they had acquired through the loans from the Government, and was happy that the traditional rulers had obtained vehicles of their choice. He assured the four traditional leaders that the Government was doing everything possible to find a suitable provider of mobile telecommunication services in the area.
Currently, Vubwi constituency in Chadiza has no access to any of the Zambian mobile providers and people use the Malawian mobile network. The president, who was accompanied by Communications and Transport Minister, Dora Siliya, Home Affairs Minister, Ronnie Shikapwasha and other senior Government officials, instructed Ms Siliya to look closely into the issue raised by the chiefs.
Dr Mwanawasa said he had taken into consideration all the issues the chiefs had raised to him during the meetings, particularly the issue of subdividing Vubwi constituency into two constituencies. The president said the move by Vubwi residents to have their constituency divided into two showed that people wanted to fully exercise their democratic rights. However, the president said having multiple constituencies alone was not enough but people should be productive in these areas.
And Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha assured the four Chewa chiefs in Vubwi, Chadiza district, that the Government was taking the problems of land encroachment by both Malawians and Mozambicans seriously. Gen Shikapwasha said a permanent joint commission comprising senior government officials from the three neighbouring countries had been meeting to address the issue of land encroachment on the common border.
“We have been having meetings with officials from the three countries in order to put some pegs on the international boundaries bordering the three countries,” Gen Shikapwasha said.
Labels: BORDERS, CHIEFS, ITC, MALAWI, MWANAWASA, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
Zimbabwe Ambassador: Self-determination is at root of conflict
By FinalCall.com News
Updated Apr 22, 2008, 03:49 pm Email this article
(FinalCall.com) - With controversy in the western media about Zimbabwe, disputes about the outcome of April 2 voting for president, charges of against President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party, and calls from opposition leaders for western intervention, Final Call staff writers Nisa Islam Muhammad and Saeed Shabazz went one on one with Ambassador Machinvenyika Tobia Mapuranga to discuss the political situation in Zimbabwe and issues facing the southern African nation. Ambassador Mapuranga pointed out that his country functions off of a constitution approved by and based on the British system, and the failure of efforts to change the constitution as evidence that his country is a democracy. He says the current controversy stems from a longtime struggle for Zimbabwe to chart its own course.
Final Call (FC): Your Excellency, what is the atmosphere in Zimbabwe? What is the atmosphere among the people?
Ambassador Mapuranga: My wife as we speak is in Zimbabwe. She left last week and we’ve been in touch on a daily basis. She says you cannot believe Zimbabwe has just gone through an election. It is peaceful, normal, and people are back to work. This is the information I also get from my ministry.
FC: That sounds very different from what we’re reading in the Western press. Why do you think that is?
Ambassador Mapuranga: Well, you know that the West has an agenda. From the time we launched the land reform program. … You have to realize that Zimbabwe and South Africa were earmarked to be “White man’s country.” That is the phrase that was used by great administrators like Lord Salisbury, Sir Harry Johnston, Lord Milner; those who administered the British Empire. They said that Zimbabwe, which was then Southern Rhodesia, together with South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, are “White man’s country,” meaning that they were for permanent White settlement and domination.
This policy entailed that the native population would be herded into, in my country they were called, “native reserves.” I grew up in a native reserve myself. The rest of the country was taken over for British, White settlement.
This policy also envisaged that the ratio between the incoming British settlers and the natives would be changed in favor of the White settlers. It happened successfully, totally successfully, in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. It was well, well, on its way to success in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
As we speak now, in South Africa the population ratio has been changed from 1 to 19,000 in the 16th century to 1 to 10! In my country, at the height of White settlement during the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the ratio was 1 to 13. But because the liberation war broke out, many of them left and found themselves in England, America, New Zealand and Canada, and the population has changed now.
That explains the reason why the people of Zimbabwe had to fight 14 years of a liberation war. I think your war of independence was only about three years. We had to fight 14 years against the British to get Zimbabwe free. We had to change the colonial heritage. And the moment we tried to do that, we were earmarked for “regime change.” That is the phrase used by President Bush and Tony Blair, the last prime minister of Britain.
From the moment we launched the land reform program, they used their money to engineer the formation of an organization party they call MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) which is funded through the Westminster Foundation and the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust. These are two British bodies that are sustaining the opposition. It’s not a secret. If you want to visit their websites, they will tell you, “we have sent so much money.”
The Liberal Party, the Labour Party, and the Conservative Party, also known as the Tories, they will be boasting they have sent so much money to bolster the opposition and NGOs, non-governmental organizations. There’s such a proliferation of NGOs in Zimbabwe because this is part of the strategy to overthrow the People’s Revolutionary Government and install puppets, the MDC.
And as for the United States, this is all for public consumption. If you look at the Department of State’s annual report—look at the annual report for 2007, look up the section that deals with Zimbabwe—you will read everything there. “That we (the U.S.) are supporting, we spent so much money—we are funding the opposition, and NGOs that are opposed to the government.”
FC: Is there any fear that what happened in Kenya after the elections, the war, the outbreak of fighting, is there any fear some of that might happen in Zimbabwe?
Ambassador Mapuranga: Absolutely not. In Zimbabwe, we see, we have the politics of ideology. We don’t have the politics of ethnicity. If you look at Kenya, the United States and Britain, the European Union, they are very happy with either Raila Odinga in power, or President Mwai Kibaki. Any of them is their friend. If any of them has the ascendancy in Kenya, it will not lead to any fundamental transformation in the body politic, or in the ideology of the society.
But in Zimbabwe, this is different. We are talking about a government which is spearheaded by a revolutionary party, which spearheaded the armed struggle against British Imperialism, and for that we have never been forgiven. And, a party that was the creation of the Imperialists themselves, has been funded by the Imperialists themselves.
Now, the people of Zimbabwe have submerged their ethnic, or call it tribal, sentiments. And they look at the vision of their country in terms of this goal: Is it going to be a country that is under control of neo-colonialism? Or a country in which the African people are not content to be just laborers on the White man’s farms? They have to be owners of the land, or a country in which Africans are content to be laborers on the White man’s mines? …
And this is why because we are experimenting with, and pioneering a new paradigm of development, which is not found elsewhere in Africa, we have to be aborted. This process has to be aborted. This is why there is, why there is such a tremendous interest of the Western press of the goings on in Zimbabwe.
FC: What do you see as the future for Zimbabwe?
Ambassador Mapuranga: The future is that we agreed to continue this revolutionary struggle. We got back our land. We want to make it productive because you know we were just laborers on the White man’s land. Now we must learn to make it productive. Production in the agriculture sector has gone down because we were not used to being owners of the land. Now we are going to make it productive. We are going to teach our people the correct use of the soil and give them the farm implements. …
What we launched last year is the largest farm mechanization program in the whole of Africa. It has never happened in any other African country, the farm mechanization. Tens of thousands of tractors and combine harvesters, and hundreds of thousands of plows and shovels have been distributed throughout the country. This is an historic economic movement that is taking place now in Zimbabwe to rehabilitate our agricultural sector.
We also passed a law about three or four weeks ago, in which Africans, the indigenous people, have to have at least 51 percent of the equity in all investment in the mineral sector so that we cannot continue to be just laborers in the White man’s mines. We have to be part of the ownership of these mineral resources.
Our future lies in making this new paradigm a success. We are going to develop this country with the indigenous people in charge of the natural resources of the land.
FC: When will the results of the election be released?
Ambassador Mapuranga: We had four in one elections. This was something unprecedented. We had elections of the local government councils, elections for the Senate, elections for the House of Assembly, and elections for the president. All four in one day.
People were saying this is unprecedented and there’s going to be tremendous confusion and problems. In a sense, they were correct. Sorry, they were not correct in a sense, because the voting went on very smoothly. There were no problems or confusion at the level of the voter. But in a sense they were also correct because the problem has been at the level of the ZEC, which is the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. It was has not been able … it was overwhelmed by the work, and was not able to deliver the results within two or three days as used to be the case since our independence.
Now the ZEC, this is the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, this is a body that was setup through the mediation of President Thabo Mbeki. You remember that President Thabo Mbeki was mediating between the ruling party and the opposition parties. …
FC: Do you think there is any way for the ruling party and the opposition party to find some way to work things out so it doesn’t look like it is just so combative?
Ambassador Mapuranga: Yes. As long as they stop getting instructions from London, Washington and Brussels. They are there in the Senate, in the House. They should just stop getting their instructions from London, Brussels and Washington. And these “Zimbabwe patriots,” “African patriots,” they are always mouthing bad words about Thabo Mbeki and all the African leaders. They are always abusing the African leaders, “This is how the opposition is. This is how the OAU is,” and so forth. Instead of portraying themselves as African patriots, and portraying African leadership at the AU (African Union) level and so forth. They prefer to get instructions from London, Washington and Brussels. This is the bane of our opposition movement in Zimbabwe. …
FC: Do you have a feeling on the ground in Zimbabwe that no matter what Zimbabweans do, the movement by the West for regime change is not going to end?
Ambassador Mapuranga: It is going to be a protracted struggle. If you look at what has happened closer home here, Cuba is one country that has jealously said, “No! We will not take orders from Washington.” This has been going on since 1958. They don’t relent. It is a continuing struggle until they subdue you. In the case of Zimbabwe, as long as ZANU-PF is in power, as long as it does not want control from London, and Washington, and Brussels. It will continue to try, to try, to put in place a puppet regime there.
FCN is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties. Original content supplied by FCN and FinalCall.com News is Copyright © 2008 FCN Publishing, FinalCall.com. Content supplied by third parties are the property of their respective owners.
Labels: FINAL CALL, LAND REFORM, MACHINVENYIKA TOBIA MAPURANGA, MECHANISATION, TRACTORISATION, ZIMBABWE
Read more...
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
Read more...
Japan gives Zambia K11bn.
By KASUBA MULENGA
JAPAN has given Zambia a grant of K11.6 billion (320 million yen) for the importation of 4,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser and 60 tractors and trailers to help the country increase food production in the 2008/09 farming season. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Ng’andu Magande, said this in Lusaka yesterday during a grant assistance agreement signing ceremony at the ministry.
“The tractors will be for sale to eligible small scale-farmers who are registered in accordance with Government’s regulations,” Mr Magande said.
The minister said the fertiliser (basal and top-dressing) would be used to boost the Fertiliser Support Programme (FSP) especially among small-scale farmers in Central Province.
Mr Magande said the Japanese grant was aimed at enabling small-scale farmers acquire inputs and machinery necessary to enhancing food production in the country.
He said the inability of small-scale farmers, particularly those in peri-urban areas to acquire agricultural equipment was a major constraint to enhancing food production.
“I therefore hope that the few farmers who will be able to acquire this equipment will use it productively to increase both yields and quantities,” Mr Magande said.
He said Zambians cherished their relationship with their Japanese counterparts.
As a result of this, Zambia had continued to receive support from Japan in such areas as construction of basic schools in Lusaka, various projects in the health sector including the improvement and rehabilitation of Lusaka roads.
He was happy that in its desire to deepen its economic cooperation with Zambia, Japan had chosen Zambia to be its first country in which to implement economic development and growth initiatives.
The initiatives that will be implemented under the Triangle of Hope as a private sector development intervention, was timely and appropriate.
Mr Magande said it was recognised that Zambia needed innovative ways of developing the economy for her to forge ahead with high broad based economic growth and wealth creation.
“It is not enough to speak of sustainable development. What we need is the transformation of our economy to a higher level of operation with a new mindset and work ethics,” he said.
The minister was convinced that this shift of people’s thinking coupled with Japanese support, would propel Zambia to a middle income country faster, just like it led to tremendous results in south Asian countries.
And Japanese charge d affaires to Zambia, Kotaro Suzuki, said the money his country had given Zambia would help in boosting food production, especially maize among the underprivileged farmers.
He said the money would assist Government with its continued efforts to develop the country.
Mr Suzuki said agriculture had continued to play a pivotal role in the Zambian economy and his country believed that increased agricultural productivity was critical for effective implementation of the Fifth National Development Plan.
The grant would enable the Zambian Government to acquire and distribute Urea and D Compound fertilisers to small-scale farmers through the FSP.
Mr Suzuki said the grant would also enable Government to procure and distribute agricultural machinery and equipment consisting tractors, ploughs, harrows, cultivators, reversible ploughs and trailers with power tillers.
He hoped that small-scale farmers would use the equipment to maximise their productivity and enhance food security and income generation at both household and national levels.
Mr Suzuki hoped that the assistance would go a long way in improving people’s quality of life and contributing to the country’s economic growth.
He said Japan continued being heavily burdened by serious fiscal strains that required his Government to earn public support by improving efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of its assistance programmes.
“In this view, I would like to request the Zambian Government to utilise this grant in a transparent, accountable, efficient and effective manner to enable us continue supporting Zambia on its course to economic and social development,” he said.
Mr Suzuki said Japan was ready to work with the Zambian Government in monitoring implementation efforts to ensure that the grant fully benefited targeted people.
Labels: GRANTS, MAGANDE, TRACTORISATION
Read more...
