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Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent

PRESIDENT  Mnangagwa has urged farmers to embrace new farming technologies to boost production and enhance food security in the wake of climate change-induced droughts.

 He was speaking on the side-lines of a familiarisation tour of his Pricabe Farm in Sherwood, Kwekwe by a delegation led by Rwanda Envoy, Ambassador James Musoni on Saturday.

The familiarisation tour is part of a number of exchange programmes lined up between the two countries following a meeting between the President and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame in Ethiopia earlier this year.

President Mnangagwa said farmers should fully utilise the land availed to them to ensure maximum production.

“It is all about technology, moving around seeing technology and how to apply it because what is necessary is that each hectare must produce more. Our land cannot expand so the challenge is to fully utilise it. We have to make use of technology to utilise the land that we have to ensure that we realise more from it. When you have modern technology, you have maximum in terms of production and that way agriculture becomes profitable,” he said.

A farmer par excellence, President Mnangagwa has transformed Pricabe Farm into a marvel with crops ranging from soya beans to maize ready for harvest.

The farm is also into fish farming, market gardening and is readying for the winter crop.

Asked how he manages the farm given his busy schedule, President Mnangagwa said he was a hands-on farmer who always frequents his farm whenever he gets the slightest chance.

He also gave credit to his brothers who are always at the farm. 

“Every Saturday and Sunday I come to the farm when I am available. I also have two brothers who are always at the farm. I am not a cell phone farmer. My brother moves around researching about the latest technology and how it can be used at the farm. As a result I am expecting, in terms of maize, between 12 and 14 tonnes per hectare.

“We also use cell phones but for production purposes. I have a pumping station that serves 9 pivots collecting water from a distance of seven kilometres and that is when I use a cell phone to operate the latest technology,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said they were now targeting to establish an agribusiness to process some of the farm produce.

Ambassador Musoni applauded President Mnangagwa for being hands on and leading by example.

“We appreciate His Excellency for allowing us time to visit his farm. The technology we have seen here is a challenge to us as a country. President Mnangagwa is a hands on leader who shows how it is done and that’s true leadership,” said Ambassador Musoni.

He said there were a lot of exchange programmes lined up between the two countries.

“We are looking forward to exchanging ideas between the two countries. There is a lot that we can learn from each other. I am impressed that President Mnangagwa’s Government is in the process of establishing a one stop investment centre for ease of doing business, the same model that made our economy grow,” he said.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Community and Small to Medium Enterprise Development Sithembiso Nyoni, Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavima, Zanu-PF Midlands provincial chairperson Daniel Mackenzie Ncube were among the officials who attended the function.