By Tendai Chisiri
Harare Agriculture Show started Monday and the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MoLAFWRD) Dr. Anxious Masuka attended Climate Smart Agriculture for Sustainable Innovations and Pactices breakfast meeting to ensure food security at Andy Miller Hall in the Show grounds.
Minister Masuku thanked the Zimbawe Agriculture Society and the Diplomatic Business Networking Club for organizing the significant event.
“This gathering represants a crucial opportunity for us to come together and discuss the strategic priorities, initiatives and enabling frameworks required, the transition towards a resilient, sustainable and productive agriculture sector to ensuring long-term food security for our nation”, he said.
“Today, we will delve into various key focus areas that are instrumental in achieving our goals, one such is the development and implemention of government policies and programs that promote climate-resilient agriculture. Recognising the challenges posed by climate change, it is imperative that we establish comprehensive and adaptive policies that enable our farmers the cope what tubthe changing environmental condition na and sustainably manage their farms”, he stated.
“Furthermore, we recognise the importance of private sector engagement and public-private partnerships. The government’s role it to provide a facilatory role, ensuring agricultural transformation that is private sector-led and public sector-facilitated. We have witnessed remarkable growty in the production value chain, thanks to the support and massive participation of the private sector in climate-smart agriculture”, he added.
MoLAFWRD has been working tirelessly to promote the participation of the private sector in all aspects of agricultural transformation. We have introduced policies that compel private sector off-takers and users of agriculture commodities to produce at least 40% of their annual requirements through local production, supporting local farmers through various frameworks such as joint ventures, contract farming and corporate farming”, Masuka revealed.
These efforts have already started bearing fruit since their promulgation in 2020. For instance, in 2020, the private sector contributed over 57,000 hectares, accounting for over 71% of wheat production in Zimbabwe. ” We have also have formed the Food Crops Contractor Association (FCCA), a consortium of private sector, millers and processors, with government support, which has been contributing to production and import substitution”, he said.
Another critical aspect is the ministry’s support for agricultural research and development. Innovation and scientific advancement play a significant role in enhancing the productivity and efficiency of our agricultural practices. By investing in research and development the ministry can unlock new technologies, techniques and best practices that will empower the farmers and enable them to thrive in a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape.
To promote investment in the agricultural sector, the government has lined up various incentive. These measures include duty rebates on the importation of high-value capital materials, exemption from income tax in the first five years of operation, the establishment of specific economic zones, differentiated value-added tax rates and favorable treatment for machinery and equipment as part of equity investments.
“Additionally, we recognise the potential for climate financing and the utilization of regenerative agriculture to sequester carbon dioxide and benefit from carbon credits. We encourage innovative approaches in tapping into these fundimg opportunities”, Masuka said.
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