Elita Chikwati, Harare Bureau

President Mnangagwa yesterday  challenged the media to profile successful young farmers to encourage more youths to venture into farming.

Addressing young farmers and journalists  at the National Young Champion Farmers Awards ceremony where  excelling young farmers leading the thrust into production were rewarded, President Mnangagwa said profiling successful young farmers encourages youths to venture into farming.

 The young farmers went home with prizes that included motorbikes, farming inputs and money.

Some of the outstanding young farmers do not own land as they were still young when Government embarked on the successful land reform programme at the turn of the millennium and as such are renting the land they are farming.

 President Mnangagwa said he was impressed that the new generation of farmers was making such a significant contribution despite not having much land.

“I exhort the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement to work with various stakeholders to facilitate the entry of more young farmers into horticulture, animal husbandry and agroforestry sub-sectors as well as the value addition and beneficiation of all agriculture produce,” said President Mnangagwa.

“I call for greater accommodation of the young farmers into programmes such as the Command Agriculture programme and  the Presidential Input Scheme. Mechanisation and Irrigation Development programmes should also favourably support this young generation of farmers.

“As Government, we will continue to be alive to the unique needs of young farmers such as technical expertise, extension services, agro financing and identification and penetration of markets.” 

Government has reviewed producer prices of maize and wheat to ensure viability of farming activities.

The ongoing road and rail infrastructure rehabilitation programmes are also expected to facilitate easier movement of agricultural commodities.

President Mnangagwa urged the youths to adopt smart agriculture practices and traditional crops and new seed varieties to increase yields and quality of produce per unit area.

Agriculture Minister Perrance Shiri said Cabinet had approved the involvement of farmer associations and clubs to be supported by Government in the 2019/2020 farming season and beyond.

“Agricultural transformation will be hard to achieve if the young people are left out in the various value chains,” he said. “The youth constitute the bulk of the labour force and they are custodians of our skilled resource base. 

“I am impressed by the effort shown by my ministry’s Youth Desk and relevant departments in involving young farmers in agriculture led developments.

“Structured youth mainstreaming in all spheres of the economy is a recipe for achieving sustainable development goals and attaining upper middle income economy status by 2030.” 

Minister Shiri applauded the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Vision, among others, for working with Government to support farmers.

The prize winning farmers are involved in crop and animal production.

The awards, collectively organised by the Youth Desk, Young Farmer Associations under the Youth in Agriculture APEX Council, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union and other key stakeholders, were meant to encourage good works, share knowledge, ideas and experience among progressive farmers.

They are also meant to honour excellent work by young people in supporting Vision 2030 of becoming an upper middle income economy.

Ms Memory Nyakwima Chakwita of Harare received  a trophy, soyabean seed and a certificate for being the best farmer in value addition. She said youths were geared towards increasing production in the next five years, banishing food imports and boosting exports. 

“Agriculture is the best vehicle to use to enhance economic empowerment,” she said. “As young farmers we are taking farming as a business and we promise to work hard and contribute towards the well-being of the economy.” 

Government has come up with different programmes to encourage youth participation in agriculture.

It wants financial institutions to come up with flexible funding mechanisms that accommodate the limitations of the young people.

The young agriculture graduates are also encouraged to provide solutions to the challenges faced in the agriculture sector.

First to be presented with an award was the overall winner, National Farmer of the Year, Mr John Muchenje from Mvuma, Midlands.

He received a motorcycle, trophy, cash, soyabean seed and a certificate. 

Mr Muchenje planted 40 hectares of maize, 40 hectares of wheat and 20 hectares of tobacco.

Last season, he delivered 100 tonnes of maize to the Grain Marketing Board and sold 140 tobacco bales. 

He also had soyabeans and has already planted maize and cabbages. 

Mr Muchenje employs 40 workers and has constructed a decent homestead.

The prize for overall small grain and wheat producer went to Mr Fungai Makoni of Rusape. He received cash, maize seed, trophy and a certificate.

Mr Makoni produced 40 hectares of wheat.

Another farmer, Ms Susan Muza of Goromonzi was voted the best lawn producer in the country. The farmer is constantly invited abroad to teach other farmers to grow lawn.

She received 50kg maize seed, horticultural inputs and a certificate.

Mr Luckwell Shereni of Mt Darwin was rewarded for being the best cotton grower. He received fertilisers, a knapsack sprayer, chemicals, cotton seed and a certificate. 

Mr Shereni planted seven hectares of cotton. 

Some of the winners were Best Young Coffee Farmer (Mr Raymond Mangwaba), Best Young Soyabean farmer (Mr Edwin Kudanga), Best Young Groundnuts farmer (Mr Tafadzwa Chisero); Best Young Horticulture Exporter (Mr Chriswell Daitone of Mashonaland West), Best Young Forestry and Plantation farmer (Mr Paul Katsande from Mashonland East) while the best apiculture farmer award went to Ms Irene Makumbe.

Some farmers received awards in beef, dairy, piggery, poultry, goat and sheep production.

Technical experts were not left out. Young people with technical expertise are also involved in the agricultural industry.

The award winner for the best ICT in Agriculture went to Ms Memory Dubai, while Ms Evangelista Chekera won the Best Agro Innovator award.

Ms Chekera leads a team that designs, manufactures and distributes poultry slaughtering cones.

She was granted patents for her chick brooder and poultry slaughtering cone by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO).

Ms Chekera has also won the Women African Innovation Fellowship (AIF) this year as a reward for her chick brooding device. She was selected to be a Thought for Food Ambassador for Southern and Central Africa.

Outstanding Young Women in Agriculture were also rewarded, with Ms Wendy Madzura, an agronomist from Seed Co Group, and Ms Caroline Monzendi from Econet’s Eco Farmer, also be rewarded for their sterling contributions in the agricultural sector.

Excelling young farmers and agricultural experts, who have made significant contributions to the attainment of food security in the country, were also rewarded at the same event.

The young farmers went home with prizes that included motorbikes, farming inputs and money.

Some of the outstanding young farmers do not own land as they were still young when Government embarked on the successful land reform programme at the turn of the millennium, and are renting the pieces of land on which they are operating from.

The farmers are involved in crop and animal production, hence contributing significantly towards the eradication of hunger and poverty in their communities.