Freedom Mupanedemo and Ishemunyoro Chingwere
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has rallied farmers to put maximum effort on the land as agriculture is the backbone of the economy.

Addressing thousands of people gathered for a field day at President Mnangagwa’s Pricabe Farm on the outskirts of Kwekwe yesterday, VP Chiwenga said agriculture contributes up to 18 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.

He said farmers must ensure Zimbabwe regains her bread basket status in Africa.

“We are gathered here at President Mnangagwa’s farm to appreciate his work as a successful farmer in Zimbabwe. We should emulate his good work so that agriculture which is the backbone of our economy could contribute more to our GDP,” he said.

VP Chiwenga said the major reason for waging the war was to reclaim the land from a minority.

He said Zimbabweans should now utilise their land.

“We went to war because we wanted land. Now we have the land so we should work hard and produce. We should take notes from the President and aim at producing more at our respective farms and fields,” he said.

He said land was a precious resource that must be guarded jealously.

VP Chiwenga urged the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate to work hand in glove with the Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement and ensure idle water bodies are put to use.

“We have more than 10 000 dams around the country most of them with lots of water that continue to lie idle. We should work on ways of utilising the water resources so as to improve our agricultural produce,” he said.

Lands, Agriculture, and Rural Resettlement Minister Air Chief Marshal (Rtd) Perrance Shiri said land was the only asset that could benefit generations to come.

“We are Zimbabweans and we should preserve our land. Some minerals such as gold will diminish, but we will remain with our land so farmers should be environmental friendly in their activities,” he said.

He commended President Mnangagwa for being one of the best farmers in the country despite his busy schedule.

President Mnangagwa has 132 hectares of maize.

He put 92 hectares under soya beans. He expects between 12 tonnes to 15 tonnes of maize per hectare.