Story by Abigirl Tembo
VICE President General (Rtd) Dr Constantino Chiwenga has reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s commitment to transforming its agricultural sector and strengthening academic ties with India, as the country pushes towards food security, value addition, and skills development.
Speaking during a visit to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Surat, India, Vice President Chiwenga, noted how India has successfully implemented structured market systems that ensure fair farmer compensation, efficient distribution, and wealth creation along the agricultural value chain.
“We want the system that you have installed here to be spread to Zimbabwe. A market, as I said, has been established in one of our high-density areas. We are still exploring the best way to operate it. I think this is the best time for us to join forces.
“The developments I observe here closely mirror our objectives in establishing similar markets in Zimbabwe. Our national objectives include ensuring agricultural growth, wealth guarantee, and that farmers receive fair compensation for their produce, as is practised here. Zimbabwe is dedicated to this goal through investments in agro-processing and value addition. In other words, we want to turn agriculture into an agro-industry. It is an industry by itself,” he said.
“We are all here because we had something to eat last night, and just as we are talking, we are having tea, this goes to say how vital food is to us and our families. Now after the pandemic, we had been trying to reach the goal we had tried to achieve. We aim to move beyond the export of raw commodities, to building resilient value chains that will ensure farmer incomes, reduce dependence on volatile global markets, and create local employment opportunities. The volatility we are getting now on the global market is one key factor, you cannot produce your own food when you want to depend on other countries, it will not happen that way,” he said.
At the India-Zimbabwe Academic Meet hosted by Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Vice President Chiwenga underscored the importance of academic and research partnerships in driving economic and social advancement between Zimbabwe and India.
“Through academic and research partnerships, our objective is to foster collaborations that benefit our institutions while contributing to the broader economic and social advancement of both Zimbabwe and India.
“Zimbabwe is dedicated to fostering partnerships that enhance education, research, and innovation. We understand that evolving academia in business and industrial collaborations can yield transformative outcomes for our societies.
Our potential areas of cooperation encourage this university to consider initiatives with Zimbabwe focused on skills development and exchange programs in sectors such as information technology and digital skills. Together, we can align our goals and create impactful initiatives that benefit our communities and contribute to our shared future,” he added.
These engagements are part of the broader Chalo Zimbabwe initiative, a strategic mission aimed at deepening trade, tourism, agriculture, and educational ties between Zimbabwe and India.
The outcomes are expected to shape the country’s agro-industrial growth, enhance food security, and expand academic cooperation as Zimbabwe works towards its Vision 2030 targets.
