Story by John Nhandara
THE 21st Konya Agriculture, Mechanisation and Field Technologies Fair has begun in Turkey, with Zimbabwe optimistic of presenting its products, forging business connections and identifying market opportunities.
The fair is one of Turkey’s largest and most significant agricultural fairs, which brings together industry leaders, professionals, and innovators to showcase the latest developments in agricultural mechanisation and field technologies.
Leading the Zimbabwe delegation, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka spoke on the importance of high technology innovations in shaping the future of agriculture.
“Climate change, pandemics, macro-economic shocks, and conflict are recurring challenges in many regions of the world, necessitating collaborative actions to overcome these seemingly intractable challenges. Climate-smart agriculture, underpinned by novel technologies, has become an imperative, and not an option for farmers across many regions,” the Minister said.
“It is in this context that President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched a radical, bold and ambitious “Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy: 2020-2025” (AFSRTS), in August 2020. The AFSRTS is under-girdled by climate-smart interventions at local and national levels to build a resilient climate-proofed agricultural sector to sustain increases in both production and productivity to meet our food security and improve nutrition requirements while contributing to livelihoods improvement and economic development.”
Dr Masuka also noted the significance of smart farming technologies, precision agriculture, and sustainability-driven solutions in advancing Zimbabwe’s agricultural economy.
“Zimbabwe is developing a solid agricultural base to repower it’s accelerated rural industrialisation and development thrust. This is anchored on heritage-based talent development and a robust resource-based strategy. At the national level, an accelerated irrigation development plan was launched to achieve the target of 496 000 hectares by 2028, from 175 000 hectares in 2020. Currently, some 217 000 hectares are irrigated, a 24 percent increase.
“Under these local and national intervention models, agriculture has been re-established as a viable, profitable and sustainable business, irrespective of scale. The government is further climate-proofing agriculture through extensive dam construction, under the “dam is an economy concept”. Mechanisation, at large and smallholder levels, is being accelerated to complement these efforts. The focus is on minimum tillage principles to conserve water. Through government-enabled financing, the national tractor fleet has increased by 90% in the past five years.”
Konya is recognised as the agricultural capital of Turkey and holds a strategic position in the global agricultural machinery market.
Running under the theme “Improving Agricultural Productivity Under Scarce Water Resources Through South-South and Triangular Cooperation,” the Konya Fair provides a unique opportunity for Zimbabwe to discover the latest advancements in farming technologies and to engage in meaningful business partnerships.
