Zimbabwe has secured over $25 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance over 8,000 hectares of wheat production. The funds will be administered by the Agriculture Finance Co-operation and will aid 8,000 to 9,000 hectares of wheat production. The drive for “re-engagement and further strategic engagements” is finally bearing fruit in the agricultural sector. Zimbabwean officials have applauded the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) for heeding the government’s call to ring-fence electricity supply to the wheat production cluster. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr. John Basera, has also praised the government’s farm mechanisation programme, which assisted the success of the wheat plantation. There were less than 6,000 tractors before the current administration, but the government has delivered an additional 6,000 to make more efficient agriculture possible. Dr. Basera said the mechanisation programme will ultimately improve the competitiveness gap and increase productivity efficiencies. The AfDB grant aims to prepare the economy for inward-looking strategies, particularly in the wake of Covid-19 and geopolitical development in Eastern Europe. The drive for internal agricultural efficiency is critical amidst the global supply chain that involves countries such as Ukraine and Russia, which contribute to 30-40% of global supply chain wheat. With the right kind of investments and initiatives, a country like Zimbabwe could achieve food self-sufficiency and self-reliance in agriculture. In addition to wheat production, Zimbabwe could take more power into its own hands and supply methanol as a strategic fuel substitute to Russia instead of importing millions of dollars worth of petroleum fuel annually. The country has abundant resources, and it can apply sustainable strategies to harness energy, among other resources.
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