Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe agricultural revolution must now focus on productivity

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa today said the country must now go beyond meeting its national food requirements but must now focus on productivity so that agriculture becomes a real business.

Writing in his weekly column in the Sunday Mail, the President said: “Our attention now has to turn to how much we produce per hectare; per farmer/household, and per given quantity of key inputs. All this takes us into the realm of productivity, while also getting us to focus closely on each variable in the whole gamut of our interventions.

“That also covers post-harvest losses which reduce our marketable surplus.

“We have to be hard on ourselves by minutely focusing on the entire agricultural production continuum: from preparing for the season right up to delivery to depots. It is no longer sufficient to revel in positive aggregate output, both at micro- and at macro-levels.

“We must be more rigorous with ourselves, indeed to use a more onerous set of performance measurements.

“What inputs have we used on the land, and to get what output? What hectarage have we put under crop, and with what result per hectare? What is each dollar invested bringing us by way of marketable surplus? Each unit of electricity, diesel and water used for irrigation? Only that way does our Agriculture become real business, driven by considerations of efficiencies and profitability.”

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My instalment comes at a time when the national focus is on Agriculture. The Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, our premier event for the sector, starts this week.

Government is busy moving inputs to all our provinces in readiness for the new season. Our experts who forecast the weather have just revealed that our region is likely to have a normal-to-above normal season.

This is a massive fillip given the mixed season we had previously, and also against the backdrop of the searing drought which has hit many parts in the subcontinents of Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Then we have the conflict in Eastern Europe which has gravely affected global food supply.

Never has the situation been so dire worldwide, which is why we should make the best of our auspicious circumstances. Hence my focus on this vital sector which is also the mainstay of our Economy.

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