By Charles Motsi

Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Board Chairperson, Busisa Moyo, says Government’s current efforts to resolve land disputes in farms around the country is commendable as this will boost productivity and a reduction on the food import bill.

Intervention instituted by Government to improve productivity include downsizing large unproductive farms for re-distribution to other deserving farmers, availing agricultural equipment to farmers and providing inputs through the Presidential Input Scheme.

Moyo who is also Chief Executive Officer, United Refineries Limited echoed these sentiments during a zoom meeting titled “Zimbabwe's Economy During the Coronavirus Pandemic and beyond”( https://www.chathamhouse.org/event/zimbabwes-economy-during-coronavirus-pandemic-and-beyond) organised by Chatham House,this Tuesday.

Moyo said COVID-19 presented an opportunity for the country to regroup, rethink and re-imagine new possibilities in all economic spheres despite the harsh background obtaining in the country.

“I am glad that government has started on the issue of resolving issues of contested land and land that cannot be financed and so on but the efforts need to go further to issues of land bank. I know there is research going on there so that we have bankable, transferable leases in terms of the 99 Year Leases so that people can produce.

He further suggested that the current import bill would go down when products such as soya beans and other crops are produced locally, in the process creating jobs for locals.

Speaking during the same meeting, Dr Knox Chitiyo, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House concurred that 2020 had been a difficult year, and Zimbabwe was no exception.

“Diaspora remittances have been impacted but not so impacted as expected. There are still some ongoing investments and initiatives happening in Zimbabwe. In addition formal and informal sectors have found ways of adapting to new normal of COVID-19 economy,” he said.

Chitiyo said new business and new ways of business has been seen in the country to offset the effects of COVID-19.

Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is independent and owes no allegiance to any government or to any political body. It does not take institutional positions on policy issues.