By Christopher Makaza

Department of Mechanisation under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement will soon be receiving farm equipment via the Belarus and John Deere facility amounting to US$ 13 million, a contact from the Ministry has revealed.

According to the contact Belarus has already received US$ 2 million from Zimbabwe as first payment.

Consignments which include 100 tractors, 20 combine harvesters and 52 planters among others are expected in the country soon.

The contact highlighted that the Belarus and John Deere facility shall be supported by local manufacturers to assemble and maintain the equipment adding that a local bank shall be responsible for loaning the equipment to farmers as well as the establishment of a revolving fund to ensure an on-going deal with farmers.

Availability of farming equipment is expected to boost agricultural production as Government is committed to comprehensively develop the sector so that “Vision 2030” of making Zimbabwe an Upper Middle Income society is achieved.

The Transitional Stabilisation Programme presents quick-win investment opportunities for the realisation of self-sufficiency and food surpluses that will see the re-emergence of Zimbabwe as a major contributor to agricultural production and regional food security.

Relatedly, in an interview with this publication recently Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister, Vangelis Haritatos revealed that Government was also in the process of acquiring distillation machinery from Belarus for the rehabilitation of various water bodies in the country which have been threatened by siltation.