By Staff Writer
His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has launched a production kit aimed at improving the country's self-sufficiency.
The kits launched for the A1 farmers will provide the necessary means to ensure the farmers reach their full potential.
"It is my singular honour and privilege to officiate at the National Launch of the Production Booster Kit Programme, which marks yet another significant milestone in our country’s agricultural transformation agenda. Ndinotenda nekundigamuchira kwamaita mose mhuri yeMashonaland Central Province. Our Vision of a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society by 2030 remains anchored by a vibrant and robust agriculture sector. We must continue to guarantee food security and food sovereignty, improved nutrition security and overall improvements in the quality of life of our people, President Mnangagwa said.
"It is in this context, therefore, that my Government implemented the “Agriculture, Food System and Rural Transformation Strategy: 2020-2025,” which focuses on climate-smart agriculture, among other critical aspects. Due to the existential threat of climate change, Zimbabwe like many African countries, is at risk of becoming drier in the decades ahead. Against this backdrop, it is necessary that we build greater resilience, as well as adaptation and mitigation strategies.
"In this regard, my Government has embarked on an array of climate-smart agriculture initiatives. These interventions are at two levels, beginning at the household level. The sustainable intensive Conservation Agriculture Model, popularly known as Pfumvudza /Intwasa, has been widely adopted and has helped to bolster our food security mix. This is being complemented by the matching of specific crops to the respective agro-ecological regions of our country. It is commendable that these practices have led to a threefold increase in the production and productivity of maize and sorghum, as well as improved household food security and incomes.
"At the national level, my Government is climateproofing agriculture through extensive dam construction. A corresponding development of modern irrigation systems is being prioritised and scaled up. Under our ongoing irreversible national thrust of being a nation capable of feeding itself, irrigation development has become an invaluable tool in our fight against the adverse effects of climate change. The devastating effects of the El Niño-induced drought during the 2023/2024 season, among other experiences, have shown us the urgent need to climate-proof agriculture. To this end, we have set for ourselves an ambitious and achievable target to develop 496,000 hectares of land under irrigation by 2030, with over 350,000 hectares under summer cereal production.
"I, therefore, applaud efforts by stakeholders in the agriculture sector for the milestones realised in irrigation development. To date, the area under irrigation has increased from 175,000 hectares in 2019 to 222,000 hectares in 2025. This represents a 27% increase, the fastest irrigation development phase since Independence in 1980. These ongoing efforts have seen us attaining yields of 1.8 million tons, which is equivalent to our annual food and feed requirements as a nation.
"My Government has explored several initiatives and financing models available to support investments in irrigation systems for A2 farmers. The Accelerated Irrigation Investment Conference, which was held on 5 July 2024, under the umbrella of the Irrigation Development Alliance, a government-private sector consortium, has resulted in accelerated irrigation development. It is pleasing that implementation is now underway, with notable projects having started, for the development of 37 500 hectares.
"We commend the private sector for playing its part towards mobilisation of the requisite funding, withGovernment being the guarantor. This is in keeping with our private sector-led economic development thrust and the mantra ‘Zimbabwe is open for business.’Going forward, I invite more participants to collaborate with Government, farmers, and communities to expand irrigation development, including enhancing local capacities for climate change adaptation and resilience.
"Meanwhile, in 2024, I launched a more secure tenure for A1 and A2 farmers in the form of transferable and bankable Title Deeds. These title deeds, as collateral, will enable many more of our farmers to access affordable financing towards increased production and productivity, mechanisation and on-farm infrastructure development. This must in turn, have spill-over effects that drive on going rural industrialisation, and the nationwide transitioning from subsistence farming, to farming as a business."