by Christopher Makaza

The private sector has been urged to finance women farmers who play a critical role in the country’s agricultural sector.

Speaking to Harare Post at the sidelines of a Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) conference held in Gweru last week, ZFU Executive Director Paul Zacharia noted that lack of proper funding is affecting production and efforts of serious potential farmers particularly women.

“There is need for our private sector to assist women farmers, complementing government efforts to revive the agricultural sector. Our Government is doing a lot to assist farmers. We have the command agriculture programme and we also have the Presidential Input Support Scheme. These two schemes have indeed transformed lives of many farmers, women included.

“Farmers should, however, in the long run learn to be self-sufficient so that Government will have a chance to assist other critical areas. There is need for the farmers to take farming as a business and pay back the inputs they receive from the government for continuity,” he said.

“The private sector can borrow money from financial institutions and purchase inputs from suppliers on behalf of farmers. This value chain supply will assist in curbing the issue of finance abuse by farmers,” he said.

Agricultural finance is among the most difficult type of finance to secure. African women farmers experience greater constraints than their male counterparts.