Harare – President Emmerson Mnangagwa said agriculture remains a key sector in the resuscitation and growth of the economy of Zimbabwe.
In his State of Nation Address (SONA) on Tuesday President Mnangagwa said going forward, the restructured Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement will have an accelerated, more coordinated and composite approach to the mordenisation and mechanisation of the agriculture sector.
“As we quest to achieve maximum land utilisation for increased productivity; there is need for strategic and concise planning, development and use of our water bodies throughout the country. We will be pursuing further investments and cooperation in this respect.”
Further the President said although Government will put greater emphasis on increased production of maize, wheat and cotton in line with the country’s industrialisation agenda, the revival and development of vibrant agro- based industries along the various agro- value chains, such as cereals, cotton, vegetables, horticulture, fruits, meat and dairy products, among others, will be encouraged.
President Mnangagwa also noted that his Government was aware of the challenges the manufacturing industry is facing and pledged to resuscitate the sector.
“We are committed to ease this pressure through increased foreign currency disbursements. Meanwhile, we must continue to scale up the value addition and beneficiation drive to ensure Zimbabwe enters the regional, continental and global value chains.”
He added that the mining sector remains yet another key component of the country's economic recovery programme and his Government is happy with the current performance of the sector.
“The production performance of gold, platinum and chrome sub- sectors are encouraging. My administration will facilitate further revival of the sector and broaden the range of minerals exploited.
“Government will continue to facilitate the acquisition and use of appropriate modern, efficient and adaptable technologies by our small scale miners to increase efficiency and output, especially in gold production.
“We must take full advantage of our country’s lithium and Coal Bed Methane reserves to seek cooperation and investment and become a centre for research, development and the manufacturing of green energy solutions.”
Additionally, the President said the development and mordenisation of the country’s roads, railways, airports, energy and ICT infrastructure will be accelerated, however this must be in sync with Zimbabwe’s domestic realities as well as the on-going quest by SADC and Africa as a whole, for enhanced connectivity and integrated infrastructure.
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