Harare, (New Ziana) -The Zimbabwe government is availing US$10 million through the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) to support youth irrigation projects throughout the country, a Cabinet Minister said.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural development, Anxious Masuka said this at a ceremony where he handed over 72 tractors and 2 combine harvesters to the Ministry of Youth on behalf of President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday.

Masuka highlighted the significance of the initiative, stating, “Agriculture is a business. These tractors will enable the production of 77 000 metric tons of grain annually, valued at over US$26 million.”

Speaking at the same event, Minister of Youth Empowerment and Vocational Training Tino Machakaire emphasized that the tractors are not “charitable gifts” but tools for youth to build agricultural businesses.

He explained that the youth will be required to pay 50 percent of the cost through the Youth Empowerment Bank, with President Mnangagwa covering the other 50 percent.

“We are going to give to the young people that are in agriculture and are perfoming for the purposes of accountability, monitoring and evaluation,” he said.

“These tractors are not for mining purposes, they are for agriculture. We need to increase our agricultural production.”

Machakaire added that a robust monitoring and evaluation system will be put in place to ensure the equipment is used productively.

“We also received two drilling rigs which are going to the 10 provinces,” he said.

President Mnangagwa launched the Youth Empowerment Scheme two weeks ago as part of a broader strategy to empower youth and modernize Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, which is seen as crucial for achieving the country’s vision to attain upper middle income status by 2030.

New Ziana