Government is committed to fostering an enabling environment where private investment can flourish through creating policies that support agricultural financing, establishing public-private partnerships, and enhancing infrastructure to improve access to markets.
Speaking at the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) symposium held in Harare on Friday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development deputy minister Vangelis Haritatos urged the private sector to engage Government in exploring joint ventures and investments that target crop production, processing, value addition and distribution.
"We need sustainable financing models for agriculture and look for strategies for value addition and beneficiation so that we increase productivity and production in agriculture. We need to enhance the role of the diaspora in agricultural financing.
"The foundation of our agricultural success lies with our farmers. It is imperative that we prioritise their empowerment, equipping them with skills and resources necessary to thrive in a competitive landscape. Through training programmes, access to finance and information dissemination, we seek to build resilience among our farmers, enabling them to adapt to climate change and market dynamics," he said.
Cde Haritatos also said the Government is launching initiatives aimed at promoting the use of climate-smart practices that will not only enhance productivity, but also preserve natural resources for future generations.
He also applauded the role of development partners in financial resources and technical assistance, saying they are vital in advancing the agricultural sector.
"Together, we can mobilise resources, share knowledge, and implement innovative solutions that address the challenges we face. We invite our development partners to continue supporting agricultural research, disseminating technology, and investing in infrastructure projects that will enhance our productivity," he said.
Cde Haritatos also challenged the Centre for the Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) that was represented by its executive director Prof Cliff Sibusiso Dlamini to assist in improving smallholder crop productivity in Southern Africa. This assistance is expected to cover access to agricultural inputs, reduced costs of improved seeds and fertilisers as well as curbing loss of indigenous seed genetic resources that are more resilient to environmental stresses like drought.
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He added that CCARDESA should motivate farmers through incentives for wider-scale production and market access, focusing on farmer empowerment and market access.
Prof Dlamini said farmers were critical in transforming agriculture, adding that there was need for finance to enhance sustainability.
"Our mandate is to transform agriculture and livelihoods in the region. We work specifically with smallholder farmers. We have established CCARDESA to positively affect the smallholder farmers. So we use the ministry of agriculture to spearhead the programmes we fund," he said.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers' Union President Dr Shadreck Makombe said progress has been made in the implementation of Malabo Declaration.
"Agricultural growth rates have increased, agricultural insurance programmes have expanded, climate-resilient agricultural practices have been adopted, not forgetting strengthening regional trade and integration initiatives. However, challenges still persist, and these include low agricultural productivity, limited access to finance and markets, climate change impacts as well as nutrition and food insecurity," he said.
He said to overcome these challenges, they must increase investment in agriculture, enhance capacity building and training, promote innovative technologies, strengthen regional coordination and cooperation as well as ensuring inclusive and equitable growth.
Zimbabwe, like many other countries in the region has been affected by the negative impacts of climate change manifesting as droughts, floods and heightened temperatures.
