Staff Reporter

A 33-year old Mashonaland Central youth has taken heed to President Mnangagwa’s call for innovativeness and has created a tractor from scratch.

Speaking to this publication at the sidelines of the Mashonaland Central Provincial Agricultural Show, Edington Muchena of Mutera Village, Ward 16 in Mt Darwin West constituency, said he was inspired by President Mnangagwa’s call to be innovative and creative and he created his own model of a tractor using home-based resources.

“The President said that we must be innovative and problem solvers. So when a lot of cattle died from tick borne diseases in my area, we had nothing to till our land with and that is when the idea of creating this tractor came. I had to turn a grinding meal engine to a tractor engine. The gamble paid off as I now have a tractor that can do work for me and my neighbors,” said Muchena.

Muchena, who is neither a professional engineer nor a mechanic, said it took him two years to create the tractor and he had to go around picking up discarded metals and other materials to use for his project. He again created his own version of a boom spray and plough and said he was in the process of perfecting his art of designing.

The youthful innovator blamed lack of resources for the prolonged time (two years) it took him to make his tractor. He said with enough resources, he will only need less than two months to complete a tractor.

Muchena said the Agricultural Show will give him a chance to showcase his talent and hoped that he will get support to commercially venture into tractor making.

He urged other youths not to sit on their laurels and expect the Government to do everything for them, but to be pace setters and be problem solvers through innovation.