A wonderful farming  story unfolds President Mnangagwa takes his Mozambican counterpart Filipe Nyusi on a tour of the first family’s Precabe farm in Kwekwe yesterday

Patrick Chitumba

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Sherwood farming area on the outskirts of Kwekwe was owned by a few white farmers  before Government  implemented the land reform programme but now has 45 A2 farmers, among them, the country’s first citizen, President Mnangagwa.

At the first family’s Precabe farm, a wonderful farming story has been unfolding for years.

Since 2008 to this day, President Mnangagwa has been slaughtering two beasts a week to feed workers.

There are 2 000 cattle, over 400 goats as well as fish and chickens at the farm. 

Planting of winter wheat on 600 hectares has been completed.

There is also horticulture. Other crops include maize that is being harvested and soya beans.

The farm sends over 4 000 tonnes of maize to the GMB every year and is highly mechanised.

President Mnangagwa takes time from his busy schedule to till the land and contribute to the national food basket.

President Mnangagwa now produces about 10 times what the former farmer was producing. 

The success of the new farmers has therefore debunked myths

Yesterday President Mnangagwa hosted his Mozambican counterpart, President Filipe Nyusi at Precabe Farm.

At 12 mid-day The Head of State and Government, looking very relaxed in the farming environment, came out of his farm office and soon afterwards President Nyusi’s motorcade arrived.

President Mnangagwa then welcomed his guest who was wearing a navy blue designer suit and after pleasantries, the two leaders went into a closed-door meeting.

President Nyusi had earlier landed at the Josiah Tungamirai Air Force Base in Gweru before making a 76km road trip to Precabe Farm. He was accompanied by Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Larry Mavima and members of his delegation.

After a briefing with President Mnangagwa, the Mozambican President was taken on a tour of the 600-hectare farm.

Now putting on sunhats to protect themselves from the scorching heat, the two leaders’ first port of call was the germinating winter wheat crop.

President Nyusi took time to feel the texture of the germinating crop and in the process making his hands dirty. A novelty at the farm is the Ankole breed which is popular in East Africa which President Nyusi had an opportunity to see at close range.

The Ankole is a modern American breed of cattle. It derives from the Ankole group of Sanga cattle breeds of east and central Africa. It is characterised by very large horns.

President Mnangagwa also showed his counterpart some of the highly mechanised equipment that is used at the farm which include combine harvesters, centre pivots and sprayers.

The two leaders exchanged notes as they watched the chemicals sprays at work.

President Nyusi was later taken to the pond where President Mnangagwa is practicing fish farming and the Moazambican President and his delegation took time to feed the fish.

In a brief interview at the pond, President Nyusi who was excited to be at the farm and in the country at large, described President Mnangagwa as a leader who leads by example.

“He is leading by example by the way he is doing things. Sometimes you say let’s grow maize, soya, wheat and you can talk to people but if you don’t know what you are talking about it’s not easy to  motivate them. What my brother is doing is good because he is leading by example,” said President Nyusi.

From Precabe farm, President Nyusi drove to Gweru before flying to Harare where he was expected to fly back to Maputo.

President Nyusi was in the country for a three-day State visit that is set to strengthen relations between the two sister Republics.

During his visit, President Nyusi presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of the Samora Machel Monument at the Liberation City being built in Harare.

President Nyusi, who made history by being the first Head of State to visit the giant Museum of African Liberation project, received an acre of land and was honoured to break the ground for the construction of the monument in honour of Mozambican founding President, the late Cde Samora Machel.

President Nyusi said the museum was the pride of the whole of Africa and applauded the country for hosting such an important continental facility.

-@pchitumba

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