THE Government has placed smallholder mechanisation at the core of the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, as the country targets to ride on increased agricultural productivity and production in its quest to achieve rural development and Vision 2030.
Speaking during the commissioning of the smallholder farm mechanisation facility in Harare recently, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said agriculture engineering and mechanisation were key drivers and enablers to transforming agricultural production in line with the Government’s push to revolutionise and industrialise farming in Zimbabwe.
“It is our aim to adopt innovative technologies and production systems to increase accessibility, availability and affordability of quantity and quality food for our people,” he said.
Smallholder agriculture mechanisation is a key input to rural development and is the largest single factor that remains a key constraint on national agricultural production yields.
“Out of total arable area of 4, 3 million hectares, less than a million is tilled using animal draft power and half a million hectares by motorised implements with the balance of more than 2, 8 million hectares requiring not designated for any particular draft power,” said Dep Min Haritatos.
The Government is supporting the national reverse engineering of agricultural implements through provision of equipment to support local manufacturers through partnerships with local universities and the Institute of Agriculture Engineering (IAE).
“The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development recognises the importance of smallholder mechanisation, as a strategy to bolster production output for rural homes constituting 61 percent of the population dependent on agriculture,” said Dep Min Haritatos
He added that farming was a business and therefore production must be coupled with productivity to make it profitable.
Mechanisation of the agriculture sector plays a pivotal role in setting the economy on a positive growth and recovery path through the realisation of a potential gross domestic product (GDP) of 33 percent as downstream benefits of mechanised operations. This will be an improvement from agriculture’s current 20 percent contribution to the GDP with the Government moving to achieve food self-sufficiency.
“The complex relationships between mechanisation, economic and social factors in development reveals the positive impact on employment, production, productivity and income distribution,” highlighted Dep Min Haritatos.
The Government is set to disburse $11, 8 billion for smallholder mechanisation in a move that is set to accelerate rural development 8, 0 through increased production as the country journeys towards Vision 2030.
“The smallholder mechanisation fund is set to accelerate farmers’ global competitiveness as the Government aims to match regional and global production levels.”
To add on, smallholder mechanisation is critical in addressing low yields that undermine the competitiveness of other sectors that are dependent on agriculture.
Added Dep Min Haritatos: “Agriculture occupies a central place in the economy of our nation and has previously contributed to the country’s GDP by 33 percent through the creation of formal employment, 65 percent of raw materials required by agro-industries and accounts for the bulk of rural livelihoods, which makes agricultural success a prerequisite for economic transformation.” – The Herald
