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Wonder Chabikwa

Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
THE government has started distributing agricultural and irrigation equipment worth $38.6 million sourced from Brazil under the More Food For Africa Programme.A least 22,000 households from communal and A1 schemes are expected to benefit from the first phase of the programme, which saw the government last week commissioning equipment that include tractors, fertiliser spreaders and irrigation kits.

The equipment is the first of the three tranches coming through a $98 million loan facility from Brazil under its More Food For Africa Programme.

Phase one of the programme will benefit agricultural schemes for small holder farmers who benefited from Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme since the turn of the millennium. The machinery will not be given to individual farmers but to irrigation schemes and farming groups in all the farming regions.

In separate interviews, farmer organisations welcomed the procurement of the equipment, saying this would go a long way in boosting food security in the country in line with the government’s economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union president Wonder Chabikwa said the sourcing of the machinery was a step in the right direction in as far as enhancing food security is concerned.

“As farmers we welcome the procurement of agricultural and irrigation equipment by the government as this goes a long way in supporting the country’s agricultural sector. We’ve been informed by officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development that disbursement of the machinery to intended beneficiaries in all the country’s eight farming regions has started,” said Chabikwa.

“As the country has been adversely affected by climate change, the modern equipment being sourced will enhance efficiency as they use less water, fuel and electricity thereby reducing the high cost of production incurred by farmers at the moment.”

It is hoped that the agricultural mechanisation programme would contribute significantly to boosting production. The Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union chief economist Prince Kuipa concurred, saying lack of farming equipment in resettled areas was a major challenge.

“We’re informed that the equipment from Brazil that the government has commissioned will benefit smallholder farmers. As the distribution begins, we hope that the beneficiaries will make good use of the equipment to enhance productivity.

The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, is expected to put in place measures to ensure the equipment is put to good use.