Zimbabwe Government has signed a US $100m contract worth of agriculture equipment. The contract, which was signed between the Government and Belarus and John Deere is a move by the former to close Zimbabwe’s mechanisation gap.
This is after the country was assessed and found to be short of approximately 543 000 agricultural implements.
This comes as farmers across the country have attributed subdued levels of agricultural production on inefficient and obsolete equipment that they are using. According to the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Vangelis Haritatos, the Government is at advanced stages for the sourcing of agricultural implements from the two financiers and is expecting to start receiving 1 000 tractors from next week.
He further explained that the respective amounts are US $52m and US $50m. As stipulated in the contract, the funds will be used to supply the country with tractors, combine harvesters, planters to name a few.
Deputy Minister Haritatos said that the Government intends to close the country’s mechanisation gap within the next three years. The coming on board of John Deere and Belarus, and its investment commitment, is on the back of President Mnangagwa’s call for investment into the country as a key pillar for economic development towards the attainment of upper middle income status by 2030.
The President has also identified agriculture as an incentive for investments and economic growth that has the potential to stimulate exports, reduce poverty, create jobs and improve people’s general livelihoods.
