Published by the government of Zimbabwe
18 September 2007
Harare — FISCORP (Private) Limited has embarked on a mop-up training programme for beneficiaries of the first phase of the Farm Mechanisation Programme.
The programme is aimed at making sure farmers who failed to attend training workshops held in the country's 10 provinces get the basic training in tractor and farm equipment operations.
The programme is being implemented in conjunction with the Ministry of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation, dealers and manufacturers of farm equipment.
The five-day training programme, which commenced yesterday, will cater for farmers from Mashonaland and Manicaland provinces before moving to Bulawayo for the remaining provinces.
Speaking at the official opening of the mop-up training workshop at the Institute of Agricultural Engineering in Hatcliffe, Fisccorp chief executive officer Mr Matthews Kunaka said his company had seen it necessary to conduct the training programme following requests from farmers who missed the provincial training programme.
He said the extra training programme was necessary to empower all farm machinery operators with requisite knowledge and skills on the operation and maintenance of the machinery so as to guarantee along shelf life for the machinery.
"The training programme is targeted at tractor drivers operating machinery received under phase one of the Farm Mechanisation Programme and who, for one reason or the other, missed the training sessions which were held in all the provinces in July and August 2007.
"It is also designed to cater for those farmers who were allocated tractors after training in their provinces had already been conducted," he said.
Mr Kunaka expressed hope that through the training programme, the tractors and equipment received under Government mechanisation programme would be maintained properly so as to achieve the objectives of the programme.
He reiterated that the farm equipment distributed under the national mechanisation programme was on a hire purchase basis and Fiscorp reserved the right to repossess and reallocate the equipment to more deserving farmers if beneficiaries did not engage in meaningful production.
"I therefore would like to urge all participants to take advantage of the experts who will be training you, to acquire the relevant knowledge and skills that will assist you to look after the equipment you received properly. The equipment will, in turn, provide you with efficient service and this will result in enhanced productivity on your farms," he said.
Governor and Resident Minister of the Metropolitan Province of Harare Dr David Karimanzira said using the machinery without proper training would jeopardise the correct use and maintenance of the equipment resulting in premature faults and a decline in productivity.
"I challenge every farmer here present and those that have benefited from the Mechanisation Programme to utilise the land and equipment effectively in order to enhance production on the farms so that we can shame our detractors who thought the land reform would not be a success.
"I would like to urge all farmers to continually send their drivers and other workers for refresher courses not only in the handling of farm equipment but in farming so that we keep ourselves abreast of modern farming techniques," he said.
He said Government has done its part by availing land and equipment to the farmers and it was now left to beneficiaries of these programmes to be productivity.
"The Farm Mechanisation Programme is indeed an example of the Government's indisputable support to its farmers and citizens at large. This is what is now expected of each farmer by Government and by the nation," said Dr Karimanzira.
Fiscorp and the Ministry of Agricultural Mechanisation last month successfully completed provincial training sessions for tractor drivers and machine operators before holding a five day training session for combine harvester operators last week. The programme has seen nearly 300 drivers and operators undergoing training.
The training programme is a follow-up to the Government initiated land reform programme and the handover of farm implements to farmers by President Mugabe in June.
As part of the continuing agricultural mechanisation and enhancement programme the central bank has contracted local companies to manufacture ox-drawn equipment for distribution to communal farmers before the commencement of the 2007/08 farming season.
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