by Nobleman Runyanga
The Government’s Command Agriculture programe has increased business for agricultural suppliers.
This was said by the Agricultural Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ADMA) President, Marc Garizio during the association’s ongoing exhibition at the Borrowdale Racecourse in Harare yesterday.
“We would like to thank the Government for the Command Agriculture project. Almost every ADMA member participated,” said Garizio during his opening remarks on the first day of the show which is running until tomorrow.
Garizio expressed gratitude to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) for prioritising ADMA members in foreign currency allocation to enable them them to import agricultural equipment, seeds and agrochemicals.
The ADMA also indicated that the show, which he described as the biggest outdoor event in Harare, had grown over the past year with exhibitors increasing in number by 50 percent from 75 last year to 150 this year.
“We thank the RBZ for putting our needs for forex on its priority list. This contrasts with the commercial banks which are addressing their own priorities,” said Garizio.
A Warrap Engineering marketing and sales executive, Gibson Lifa who the Harare Post spoke with also thanked Government for the Command Programme which he said had spurred demand for some of his company’s products.
“Given Government’s mechanisation thrust and the moisture content issues which most farmers under the Command Agriculture programme faced last year at Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots, we have seen increasing demand for our maize dryers,” said Lifa, pointing at one of the dryers on exhibition.
A Bindura-based fertiliser manufacturer, Fertiliser, Seed and Grain (FSG), which was also exhibiting at the show, also heaped praise on Government for its contract farming project which had increased the FSG order book.
“Last season we benefitted from the Command Agriculture programme. We hope to get more business from the programme this year,” said Veronica Muzenda, an agronomist with FSG who was manning the company’s stand.
