It is high time we move the people of Zimbabwe from the land of hunger and poverty to the land of plenty. We are a rich country and we have got enormous mineral resources yet there is nothing to show. This is the time to show we are a rich country, the time we change lives of our people and this is the time our fortunes are supposed to be changed as a country. Let us unite; we will do it, yes we can. The President spoke about Pfumvudza and I would also like to talk about issues to do with food security.
Madam Speaker, agriculture was the back-bone of this country. It provided employment to 60% of Zimbabwe and incomes to 60% of Zimbabweans. Agriculture produced 60% of the raw materials required by the manufacturing industry. Agriculture contributed to 40% of export earnings – the foreign currency that we require. If agriculture was to operate at 100% of its normal productive capacity, our fortunes will change in this country and we will resolve more than 50% of our problems because it will absorb more than 60% of the workers. It is going to produce 60% of the raw materials required by the manufacturing industry. Manufacturing industry will start operating and it will employ more people. It will generate foreign currency and it will generate enough food for this country. Let us do it.
Zimbabwe has the capacity to cultivate two million hectares of land using the 1000 water bodies that we have. If people do not know, we have got 1000 water bodies in this country and if we were to use those 1000 water bodies, we can irrigate two million hectares of land. It will be enough to give us food, foreign currency and create jobs for this country. Development is not rocket science. It is about copying what other people did. Development is about discovering what other people did. Look at Israel, all their crops are under drip irrigation.
I would like to challenge the Minister of Agriculture that, let us go for drip irrigation because with drip irrigation you use a small piece of land, little water but the yield is very high. Just one hectare – I did it and I am talking from experience because in 2010 I did just one hectare in front of my homestead, 100m by 100m. With one hectare if you grow maize, you will get between 7 to 10 tonnes of maize. This is enough food to feed 10 families for a whole year and with drip irrigation you can do three crops per year. People will have food and will have money to sustain a living with their families. I challenge the Minister of Agriculture – let us go for drip irrigation, it is going to change our fortunes.
Madam Speaker, corruption is a cancer which is the enemy of development and good governance. It is a cancer which is from the poor which is paid by the poor Madam Speaker and it is high time collectively, Government together with everyone else in this country, we unite and get up against corruption because every dollar stolen by a public official is a dollar stolen from a child who wants to go to school. Every dollar stolen by a public official is a dollar stolen from a pregnant woman who wants antenatal care. Every dollar stolen is a dollar stolen from communities who want clean water. So it is high time we gang up and fight this cancer called corruption.
Continued next page
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This has not happened in a very long time, as far as I can remember, in zim politics. Very refreshing, mature, pregnant with hope for a better future. I hope gov will engage with the new trajectory as has been in polad but now in the august house. Feeling better