By Sharon Tawuya
Harare, (New Ziana)— The 116th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show ended on Saturday, with exhibitors including the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and national airline Air Zimbabwe reporting successful engagements with farmers and the public.
Officials at the GMB stand told New Ziana that deliveries of grain are ongoing and the show provided a platform to address farmer concerns.
“The main concerns from farmers was if they deliver grain how much will they get and payment modalities. They had fears about getting paid on time so we have assured them that funds are released from Treasury they will get paid,” an official said.
The Board also imparted knowledge to farmers about traditional grains.
“On traditional grains they did not know that red sorghum can be used to cook the staple Sadza so we educated then.
“Small grains have become a hit and deliveries are coming,” the official added.
Air Zimbabwe public relations officer Portia Sigauke said the airline recorded strong interest in cargo services to export produce using the relaunched Harare – London Gatwick direct flight.
“Mostly farmers visited our stand to inquire about our cargo, which is exporting agricultural produce to London.
“We were happy that most farmers were following us on our social media platforms, and they received the call for them to visit our stand and inquire about the service that we are providing, that they can export their agricultural produce and it arrives in London very fresh and ready for the shelves,'” Sigauke said.
The flights resumed this month after a hiatus of more than a decade.
On the overall benefits of ZAS 2026, she said: “Fair enough, it was successful. We received a lot of inquiries besides our farmers themselves… Most people were really interested to learn about our service between Harare and Victoria Falls.
” We also recorded some bookings right on the spot.”
The Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, hosted by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society, is the country’s premier agricultural exhibition and has been running for over a century.
This year’s edition was held under the theme ‘Powering Growth: Where Agriculture, Technology and Commerce Converge’.
Officially opening the Show on Thursday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said ZAS is meant to be the place “where the policy of Government meets practice”. He said it provides the ecosystem for farmers to access inputs, equipment and finance, for banks to engage clients, and for youth to showcase agri-tech solutions.
The President challenged farmers to focus on increased output, transformation and value addition* ahead of the 2026/2027 summer cropping season.
New Ziana
