by Tawanda Musariri
“Established in 1895, and operating as voluntary member-based organisation, the ZAS is the oldest convener and host of agricultural, commercial and industrial shows in Zimbabwe.
We are home to the Harare Agricultural Show and numerous businesses, in quiet and secure surroundings, a 5-minute drive from the central business district. With an estimated 1.5 million visits to the Exhibition Park annually, the ZAS has established a solid record as a preferred facilitator and promoter of national agricultural development,” says the introductory remarks on the ZAS website.
Very few organisations have managed to reach 100 years in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe itself was established 38 years ago following the arrival of independence from Britain. The ZAS is an important landmark in the Zimbabwean economy. Its longevity can undoubtedly be owed to Zimbabwe’s thriving agro-economy.
Today, President Emmerson Mnangagwa opens the 123rd edition of this prestigious multi-discipline trade expo.
This year’s edition of the ZAS is President Mnangagwa’s maiden appearance as the guest of honour. It also marks the first of its kind in the Second Republic of Zimbabwe.
This year, the Show will be held under the ZAS 2018 theme “Field to Industry: Produce. Connect. Develop”. This theme dovetails well with the interrelationships at play between the agriculture sector and the manufacturing sector. With an agro-based economy, Zimbabwe’s farmland supplies big to the manufacturing sector as the product of the farm is hauled to industry for beneficiation into several secondary products. On the reverse, the farm demands and requires various technologies and services supplied by industry in order to produce various products.
This year’s show, as with the past shows has attracted exhibitors from the region and overseas. In the same vein, organisations from across the country have come to showcase their products and services. Noteworthy among the exhibitors are Universities, Mining Companies, Municipalities of different Towns and Cities and Government Departments.
The ZAS is the biggest trade meet which provides buyers and sellers of goods and services to interact and market their wares. Deals, memoranda of understanding and contracts are born from this platform. Each ZAS presents new technologies meeting the needs of given markets. The 2018 ZAS saw security company Fawcetts offering a new driver training technology using a computer powered virtual car which learners can learn safe driving without the risk of crashing the car into another.
Likewise, a number of organisations were seen offering computer applications useful as service support to their products. Among the organisations with such apps includes the ZAS and seed giant SeedCo.
