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By Joyce Mukucha
The government is tirelessly working to enhance agricultural productivity, food, and nutrition security, and sustainable agri-food systems that are inclusive and resilient, a government official has said.
In his remarks during the World Food Day (WFD) celebrations last week, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Douglas Karoro said the government through the ministry, was committed to upholding the implementation of facets under the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy in ending hunger, achieving food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture growth to achieve Vision 2030 in line with National Development Strategy (NDS) 1.
The WFD commemorations were running under the theme, “Our Actions our Future. Better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life.”
“We are here to acknowledge and witness efforts being put by the government and partners on ensuring sustainable agri-food systems in cognizance of designing better policies, nurturing nutrition, and fostering biodiversity.
“Our Ministry’s thrust is on development of an efficient, competitive and sustainable agricultural sector, which ensures food and nutrition security and increased incomes at both household and national levels.
“Our Ministry is working to contribute immensely to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2 that target the eradication of poverty and ending hunger respectively. The government in its aim for Vision 2030 to build an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society has set goals through agriculture recovery.
“There is a plan to reverse the continued decline in food production more importantly in all agricultural value chains. We have the Climate Proofed Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza concept) which is already answering the implementation of the Government’s Agriculture Recovery Plan,” said the Deputy Minister.
According to Deputy Minister Karoro, the adoption has been very high supporting over 1.8 million vulnerable households for maize and traditional grains and an oil crop with an achieved yield of 5, 28t/Ha against the national average maize yield of 1,16t/Ha.
He highlighted that although 34 percent growth that catapulted the contribution of agriculture to the country’s Gross Domestic Product has been recorded, agricultural production was still characterised with various challenges, and the 2021/2022 season anticipated to yield better results.
“The 2021/22 agriculture season is targeted to have an increase in growth rate by 10 percent in the agricultural space and an intense capacitation drive of field extension staff will be prioritized. Timeous distribution of inputs will also be a priority involvement of the private sector is key.
“Government upholds its commitment to ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in agriculture sector ad we work diligently to achieving a zero hunger nation by 2030. Agriculture transformation remains a top priority for the Government of Zimbabwe because of its huge potential contribution to the rural transformation and economic growth.”
Karoro added that the ministry was aware of the challenges posed by the global Covid-19 pandemic in the agriculture sector and mechanisms were being put in place to address the situation.
“The pandemic has brought about more concerns surrounding the capacity to guarantee safe and affordable accessibility and utilisation of food. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely threatened an already critical and fragile Zimbabwe food and nutrition security situation arising mainly from the consecutive years of drought which continue piling pressure on the country’s macro-economic conditions.
“In response, our Ministry has embarked on numerous interventions to try and rehabilitate the agricultural productivity and ensure food and nutrition security. Various initiatives have been taken on board to reduce hunger and its effects in Zimbabwe.
“These include, among others, the promotion of small grain and maize production, the Presidential Input Scheme, nutrition-sensitive agriculture training, Climate Proofed Presidential Input Scheme known as Pfumvudza, and the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme commonly known as Command Agriculture.”
He further emphasised that Private and Public Partnerships must be strengthened in order to achieve zero hunger by investing in agricultural development.