Govt committed to agric sector revival: Hungwe

The new political administration led by President Mnangagwa is currently seized with reviving the country’s agriculture sector to regain its status as the breadbasket of Southern Africa, a senior Government official has said.

The Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Cde Josaya Hungwe said a number of programmes, including early distribution of inputs, were being rolled out to achieve that feat.

He made the remarks while addressing thousands of cotton farmers at the provincial launch of the 4th phase of the Presidential Cotton Inputs Scheme programme held at Madzivire Primary School in Ngundu on Saturday morning.

Cde Hungwe said President Mnangagwa and his team were encouraging both commercial and small-scale farmers to play a pivotal role in reviving the country’s economy by utilising their pieces of land.

“During the first 100 days in office, the new dispensation has demonstrated the ability to transform the country’s fortunes by luring foreign direct investment and creating an investor friendly environment,” said Cde Hungwe, who is also Zanu-PF’s Secretary for Production and Labour.

“This is a new era in which President Mnangagwa and his friends, including Cottco, have started availing inputs to farmers timely. We are reviewing all the policies and systems which are not pro-people.

“You used to get inputs during Christmas holidays, and this would be after receiving rains hence making the inputs useless. But now we have a new dispensation, a dispensation which has the zeal and focus to revamp all sectors of the economy which had crumbled.”

He said Government has done its part in availing inputs and the onus was now on the farmers to produce.

He said the timely inputs distribution was a clear demonstration of the able leadership qualities of President Mnangagwa.

Cde Hungwe urged the farmers to provide secure and appropriate storage, especially for the seed.

“We do not expect to see any of these inputs on the black markets.

“Going forward, it is our commitment as a Government to ensure that other players, including investors and the private sector involved cotton and textile industry, complement our efforts through addressing some of the challenges faced by farmers and stakeholders in that sector,” he said.

He said there was need to ensure price stability for cotton and to recapitalise the textile industry.

In a speech read on his behalf by Cottco operations manager Ms Marjorie Chaniwa, the company’s managing director Mr Pious Manamike said they were aiming to issue inputs to over 100 000 farmers in the Lowveld.

“Over the past three years, farmers had abandoned cotton farming, a development which destroyed the value chain in the cotton industry.

“Some of them were complaining about side marketing, droughts and high inputs prices and Government introduced this facility which helped motivate our marginalised farmers,” he said.

He said nationally, they were looking at capacitating 400 000 small-scale cotton farmers. They received 20kg of cotton seed, 100kg of Compound L fertiliser, 50kg of Ammonia Nitrate, an assortment of agro-chemicals for pests and one knapsack spray per farmer.

The farmers will also receive free extension services.