PRESIDENT MNANGAGWA CHALLENGES USE OF IDLE LAND President and First Secretary of ZANU PF Cde E.D Mnangagwa has challenged the use of idle agricultural land saying this will ensure food self sufficiency. Speaking at the Kunatsa Estates this morning, he highlighted that every piece of land is State land hence its full utilization is of paramount importance. "18000 hectares of land was allocated to Mashonaland Central Province for wheat production and currently they are on 62 percentage usage. Mashonaland Central, West and East are the three major provinces with regards to winter cropping, all other provinces compliment them," President Mnangagwa said. "Mechanised developed farming units, smaller farmers and pfumbvudza are the three levels of farming we have and we believe that if all of us dedicate ourselves to production, we can achieve food self sufficiency in three seasons. "Every piece of agricultural land belongs to the State, and l would like to see every bit of it being utilized. Let us make sure all idle land is utilized. We seek to create an enabling agricultural environment for all in farming and also live stock production. "I challenge farmers to fully put to use all land available for agricultural. 350 and 150 hectares of land here are under wheat and barley respectively." He noted that mixed cropping is crucial in land utilization. "Mixed cropping is also being promoted and agricultural ventures such as this one should become the epicenters of rural industrialization," he said. "When we have plenty, let us also stockup in case we have dry years ahead. Food security is achievable. "Those farmers who are mechanised must produce to their levels and the opposite as such. Four hundred thousand metric tones of wheat are required for Zimbabwe annually and as such, Cabinet has set targets for each province."