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By Wallace Mawire
Rural farmers in Mutasa district in Manicaland province are elated following the resumption of agricultural shows which had taken a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ward 20 Mutasa 2022 District Agricultural Show which attracted at least 23 exhibitors, mostly women and other interested stakeholders held at Mutasa Primary School on Monday 22 August 2022 provided testimony to the farmers’ eagerness to engage in agricultural production activities.
Farmers who showcased their products and wares at the exhibition were drawn from areas such as Watsomba, Mutasa, Ziteya and Chidazembe, just to mention a few.
The show was organized by local farmers and the local agricultural extension officers and was graced by Honourable Misheck Mugadza, ZANU (PF) Member of Parliament for the Mutasa South Constituency. The Head of the Mutasa District Agricultural extension services and other extension officers also blessed the event.
Support for hosting the event was received from corporate organizations like Medcom Personnel Ltd, and Dr Benza including Honourable Mugadza. The farmers also contributed an amount per individual table displayed.
The shows are being held from the previous objectives of providing interactive platforms for engagement between the farmers and agricultural extension officers. This is expected to ultimately facilitate information dissemination, education and knowledge sharing for farmers and the country’s agricultural development.
It also provided an opportunity for outstanding farmers who excelled in the past 2021/2022 agricultural season to be rewarded for their efforts.
The organizers said that the show events would proceed to the Mutasa district show within the same province, from which finalists will proceed to the Harare Agricultural Show at an advanced competitive level.
The Harare Agricultural Show is expected to be held at the end of August 2022. The Harare show is expected to be a competitive platform for farmers from all over the country, including some marginalized areas to showcase initiatives they have embarked on to boost food security and household income.
Sections showcased at the ward 20 agricultural show included grain, craft, horticulture, craft, and sewing, just to mention a few.
Outstanding winners included Emilda Nanhanga, a mother of three from Musewe Village in Watsomba who clinched the first prize in the ward 20 contest. The second runner-up was Takesure Marevangepo, and the third winner was Florence Manyau, just to mention a few.
The winners from the show walked away with prizes which ranged from fertilizers, insecticides and kitchen utensils, just to mention a few.
From the interaction, the farmers got to learn about various issues including choosing varieties, grading produce for market purposes, pest diseases, displaying for exhibitions, and cooking issues including promoting value addition for their products. The farmers were also urged to desist from side marketing and selling inputs provided under programmes like the Presidential Input Support Scheme and others.
“l am very much pleased to be a guest at this noble event where farming issues are being discussed and winners honoured. l wish to stress that farming is at the core of my heart and l am a farmer in my own right. l urge citizens from the Mutasa community to engage in farming activities as espoused by his Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is a very capable and hard-working farmer himself.
“If we all emulate our President, l am very convinced that we will be very self-sustaining in the years to come if we engage in agricultural activities,’ Honourable Mugadza said.