Zimbabwe is most likely able to achieve the $8.2 billion agricultural industry in two seasons, Lands, Agriculture, and Rural Resettlement Minister, Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka has said.
The country crafted the Agriculture and Food Transformation Strategy, which aims to transfer the agricultural sector from a $5.8 billion industry to $8.2 billion by 2025.
Masuka said, ” As you would have noted that agriculture is expected to grow by 34% this year, it means that we are already a $7.8 billion industry and what we had hoped in 5 years most likely we will be able to achieve in two seasons.”
Agriculture and Food Transformation Strategy has recovery plans in livestock development, horticulture rehabilitation, fishery and aquatic resources, accelerated irrigation, and the agriculture information management system.
The Minister also revealed the Agriculture and Food Transformation Strategy focus on climate-proofing agriculture for household and large-scale levels.
The government is using Pfumvudza/Intwasa to climate-proof agriculture at the household level.
By harnessing water in dams and impounding the life-saving liquid and accelerating irrigation.
The government’s role in agriculture includes being a facilitator, enabler, and promoter.
Commenting on the Minister’s forecast, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Secretary-General, Paul Zacharia said markets must work for the farmers to sustain the current growth trajectory.
The secretary-general went on to say that attention must be paid to the primary producer to ensure that the farmer looks forward to going back to the field.
“With the market, this 2021 marketing season was characterized by late-payments, especially for grains, cotton, the cotton subsector. This strained the farmers’ cashflows and re-tooling plans,” he said.
Zacharia also said Zimbabwe’s regulatory framework must be tight enough to the investors as well as the farmers.
President of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) Dr. Shadreck Makombe said the $8.2 billion agriculture economy by 2025 is possible on the background of good rains, Pfumvudza, smart agriculture, and the proposed establishment of a market-based commodity exchange.
Makombe said one of the issues of concern is walking the talk, in terms of implementing plans that have been drafted.
“Farming should be treated as an enterprise and not subsistence farming. Apart from contributing to foreign currency generation, it curtails unnecessary imports of grains,” Makombe said.
Another issue of concern is for Zimbabwean farmers aiming to be net exporters by producing in excess of what is required for domestic consumption.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the Agriculture and Food Transformation Strategy to achieve an US$8.2 billion agriculture economy by 2025 in August 2020.
The strategy was initiated during the tenure of the late former Minister of Agriculture, Perrence Shiri.
