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Minister Muchinguri

Sithandazile Moyo Chronicle Reporter
WOMEN Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister Oppah Muchinguri has urged women to add value to agriculture and mining products in line with the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).In an interview, Muchinguri said value addition would promote growth of the economy.

“Women should consider the issue of value addition and beneficiation in everything they produce. They can produce agricultural products, can or dry them to preserve the produce, package it and take to the market and make more money from it,” she said.

“Value addition needs to be applied in all sectors of the economy where women are involved in order for them to benefit from what they are producing.”

Muchinguri said adding value to their produce would protect the economy by reducing imports and assist in employment creation for women and young people.

“If our women add value to everything that they produce in all sectors of the economy, it will help to reduce imports and create employment for young people and women,” she said.

Muchinguri said about 80 percent of women live in rural areas, giving them the advantage to benefit from agriculture since they are the ones who do the farming and produce food to ensure food security and nutrition both at household and national level.

“Food security is now a business and women should take it up and promote nutrition through growing small grains and producing other traditional foods to ensure food security and nutrition at the same time,” she said.

Muchinguri encouraged women to be part of the different associations which cover all sectors of the economy to promote their participation in growing the economy.