Harare(New Ziana)-Government will continue coming up with agricultural support programmes aimed at ensuring food security in the country to reduce imports, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Thursday.
Officially opening this year’s edition of the Harare Agricultural Show, President Mnangagwa said prospects were high for the coming 2020/21 summer cropping season.
“As we intensify preparations for the upcoming season, the deployment of appropriate mechanisms and knowledge sharing is critical. We must equally upscale land preparation and agriculture input delivery systems towards the attainment of a bumper harvest and our aspirations of a food nutrition secure country,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said government would continue rolling out support programmes for both communal and commercial farmers in a bid to boost local production of food crops.
“My administration will continue to put policies which facilitate the achievement of national, household food and nutrition security. “Ultimately we are desirous to see the drastic reduction of the importation of food and agro- based products. We will accelerate the goal to end hunger in our country through programmes such as the presidential Pfumvudza, climate proved programme over and above other strategies,” he said.
President Mnangagwa encouraged stakeholders to start preparing their sub- sectors for the anticipated bumper harvest.
“I call upon players in the transport, logistics, manufacturing and retailers among others to prepare for the imminent boom of our agriculture sector,” he said.
The President encouraged the use of information communication technologies in the registration of farmers and distribution of fertiliser, seed and other inputs to beneficiaries of government programmes.
“Appropriate ICT technologies should also be harnessed to open up opportunities to connect farmers to markets both local and export,” he said.
The theme for the 2020 agricultural show is “synergies for growth: cooperate, collaborate and comprehend”.
New Ziana
New Ziana
