Story by Bruce Chahwanda
SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa says deployment of technology is critical towards building resilience in food security while commending Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector as a shining example in the region and beyond.
He was speaking at the official opening of the 115th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare this Friday.
President Ramaphosa was the guest of honour at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, which provided yet another platform for farmers, researchers and investors to interact and share strategies for growth.
He arrived for the official opening ceremony in the company of his counterpart and host, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and called for the deployment of new technologies to build resilience in food security.
“Technology must be fully deployed, geospatial, artificial intelligence in agriculture between Zimbabwe and South Africa as a way of building resilience in food security. It is impressive that Zimbabwe has taken measures to increase its food security and this will make various industries more competitive for opportunities under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area,” he said.
The South African President said the growing impact of climate change requires a strong collaborative effort among nations to come up with holistic response measures.
“Agriculture has been heavily affected by the growing impact of the changing climate. Severe drought has impacted crop yields, hence, it is imperative for a collaborative effort among all nations in the world to ensure food security. As neighbours, outbreaks of foot and mouth diseases need us to pool resources together to strengthen our research institutions.”
He implored stakeholders to capitalise on the agriculture show to explore strategic partnerships and more investment opportunities.
“The private sector must use this show to explore avenues of partnerships for more investment across our borders, especially in irrigation, seeds, storage facilities and fertilisers as a way of empowering small-scale farmers. I was able to see and hear for myself that the government has assisted 35 000 villages with seed, irrigation schemes, fertilisers and full utilisation of technology.”
Zimbabwe stands out as a shining example to the region and beyond, owing to the measures being undertaken to boost agriculture through rolling out rail and road network infrastructure.
“Rail and road rehabilitation is critical towards propelling the country to higher and higher levels. Zimbabwe stands out as a shining example to the region and the continent at large. I came, I saw and learnt a lot that I will take back home,” President Ramaphosa said.
Zimbabwe has made a huge impact in the region through the setting up of 35 000 strategic village business units, which President Ramaphosa promised to take home for replication.
