By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for intensified collaboration between South Africa and Zimbabwe in the small and medium scale farming sector in both countries to guarantee food security.
Ramaphosa, who was addressing the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare, said both countries needed increased investment in small and medium farming entities, particularly those owned and run by women and the youth.
“I call on the private sectors in both Zimbabwe and South Africa to use this show to explore avenues for great collaboration that will result in more trade and investment across our borders,” he said.
The president said investment was needed in the provision of seeds, training, irrigation schemes, storage facilities and agro-processing.
He added that the development of road, rail and aviation infrastructure was a key catalyst to growing the sector.
Ramaphosa said that according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, agriculture accounted for between 60% and 80% of employment in the region.
“We must therefore work towards a more enabling regulatory environment to further boost this sector,” he said.
The president congratulated Zimbabwe for sustaining the agricultural show, which was founded 130 years, despite various political, economic and increasingly ecological issues.
“Even amidst these challenges, a constant feature of this show has been the commitment to use agriculture as a catalyst for economic growth, sustainable development and historical redress,” he said.
Ramaphosa further lauded the country for dismantling colonial-era patterns of land ownership.
He said Zimbabwe was once like South Africa’s current situation, where the black majority were confined to communal land and excluded from commercial farming.
He praised the Zimbabwean government for having turned the corner, saying it was essential for both historical redress, food security, development and economic growth.
The president said the Zimbabwean government’s ambitious reform to facilitate the entry of black Zimbabweans into productive agriculture, including support for small-scale farmers, has paid off.
“We congratulate the government of Zimbabwe for the measures it is taking to revive the country’s agricultural sector through policy reforms, investment in irrigation and mechanisation, and empowering large- and small-scale farmers.
“We know that the agricultural sector has been heavily affected by the growing impacts of the changing climate,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that adapting to and mitigating the impact of climate change was imperative for all nations and they needed to collaborate.
The president also highlighted the importance of cooperation in biosecurity, which was another area of concern.
This would help in instances such as outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, avian flu and crop infections.
He also called for countries to embrace technological trends in agriculture, saying it would increase output and build resilience in pursuit of food security.
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