Zimbabwe, Russia focus on deepening agricultural ties
Story by Abigirl Tembo in Kazan, Russia
ZIMBABWE and Russia are exploring ways to deepen cooperation in various sectors of their respective economies for mutual benefit.
Vice President, General ( Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who is in Kazan, Russia to officially open the inaugural Phygital Games of the Future tournament this Wednesday, paid a courtesy call to the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan at his Kazan Kremlin residence.
Discussions centred on the two countries’ relations in different fields which include agriculture, health, education and industry, with Russia expressing keen interest in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector.
“There are positive examples of cooperation we are supplying vehicles, machinery equipment, helicopters, rubbers, plastics, a very big segment can be agriculture. Specifically, the supply of products from Tatarstan and there is a big need in your country in terms of irrigation systems. We have vast experience, and we are willing to collaborate in this issue to help you to solve it. There are issues related to education, medicine, sports tourism, you are a unique country and tourists come and visit with great pleasure in your country.
“Very soon, our delegation will come and visit your country to work preliminary on all of the issues. I am sure that the visit of this delegation will provide a strong impetus to advance the relations with Tatarstan and the Republic of Zimbabwe within the Russian and Zimbabwean relations.
“We will form the business mission that will come and visit the Republic of Zimbabwe and I am sure that we can find areas where we can arrange something and utilise the potential of the enterprises. In terms of agriculture that will be the supply of the equipment and technology related to irrigation, I believe that there are many possibilities,” said the Head of the Republic of Tatarstan, His Excellency Rustum Minnikhanov.
From the Kremlin, Vice President Chiwenga and his delegation proceeded to Tatarstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food offices where he met the institution’s Deputy Minister and representatives of several companies in the agricultural sector who expressed interest in investing in Zimbabwe.
The First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Tatarstan, Mr Lenar Nailevich Garipov said, “For the meeting with His Excellency we have invited several companies to demonstrate their capacities. The areas we discussed include various equipment production, respective industries that are capable of both selling technological equipment and solutions as well as organised localisation and helping in the knowledge transfer locally to name a few will be oil manufacturing and dairy manufacturing irrigation equipment manufacturers.”
After the two meetings, Vice President Chiwenga expressed confidence in Russia’s capabilities in the agricultural sector.
“Areas of great interest to Zimbabwe in terms of agriculture… As you have heard, they are good and they have ranked themselves in a number of areas of food production in the entire Russian Federation, but what is of interest to me has been their milk production and their agriculture. They use irrigation and irrigation is in high demand back home and we also need to produce it locally and also be able to maintain it locally so that we can treble, quadruple our current production levels to a higher level so in the agriculture sector we would want to corporate with them,” he said.
Tatarstan is one of Russia’s most economically developed regions and boasts a strong agricultural sector.
