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Farirai Machivenyika, Harare Bureau
GOVERNMENT programmes in support of farmers are to enhance agricultural productivity and ensure food security, not to canvass support for elections, President Mnangagwa has said.

He was speaking while officially opening the 108th edition of the Harare Agricultural Show yesterday, whose theme is: “Field to Industry: Produce, Connect and Develop.”

The President’s statement follows accusations by the opposition that programmes that include Command Agriculture and Presidential Inputs Support Scheme are meant to buy votes.

“Let me once again reiterate my Government’s commitment to support Command Agriculture and the Presidential Input Support Scheme,” he said. The distribution of inputs under these programmes, for the 2018/19 agricultural season, has already begun and should enable timely planning on the part of farmers, as well as result in increased production.

“These two programmes are not an election gimmick. They are a fact of life to modernise and mechanise and secure food security for our motherland. I am confident that these efforts and unity of purpose by all stakeholders will ultimately result in the increased performance of our agriculture sector.”

The Command Agriculture programme has been credited with the increase in maize production in the past two seasons and has been expanded to other crops that include cotton, small grains and soya beans.

It has also been extended to fisheries and livestock.

President Mnangagwa, who is also the patron of the Zimbabwe Agriculture Society, said he would want to link the concept of agricultural shows with provincial economies across the country.

“Under my administration, provinces are required to plan and develop their economies towards defined provincial Gross Domestic Products, which subsequently contribute to the national GDP,” said President Mnangagwa.

“As patron of ZAS, I will seek to reform and strengthen this concept of agriculture shows by linking them to provincial economies, a feature that will be given priority under my administration.

“For us to accelerate the concept of provincial economies, I challenge the ZAS and other provincial show societies to introduce agro-business conferences as platforms to promote investment in their provinces.”

President Mnangagwa said the theme of the show aptly fits into Government’s policies on increased productivity. “The theme for this year’s exhibition, “Field to Industry: Produce, Connect, Develop,” is timely and speaks to our present national focus towards increased productivity and acceleration of modernisation of our agriculture sector,” he said.

“In addition, the theme resonates with my administration’s industrialisation agenda.”

President Mnangagwa said in view of the effects of climate change, farmers should fully utilise dams across the country for irrigation.

He called on industry to anticipate an inevitable growth in the agricultural sector.

“Our clarion call is for industry to anticipate this inevitable growth of our agriculture sector,” said President Mnangagwa. “As we achieve self sufficiency, we must, as a nation, begin to seriously pursue entry into export markets.

“Such strategies will ensure employment creation and the speedy attainment of our vision to become a middle income economy with increased investment, decent jobs, broad-based empowerment, free from poverty and corruption by 2030.”

President Mnangagwa had earlier in the day visited various stands, especially those involved in agriculture.

“I had occasion to tour many stands, which were a testimony of the progress we continue to make in various spheres of agriculture such as research, seed production, cropping, livestock, farm mechanisation and engineering, veterinary services and agro-processing, among others,” he said.

“I am confident that the agricultural sector is poised for accelerated growth.”