The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka has called for collaborative spirit, the unity of purpose and shared responsibility that is required to transform our agriculture sector and secure our nation’s food sovereignty.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri at this year’s belated World Food Day Celebrations held at Matopo Research Institute in Matabeleland South, Dr Masuka said the ministry had launched the first Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy in 2020, with a target to grow the sector from a USD 5.2 billion industry to USD 8.2 billion by 2025. Dr Masuka noted that despite facing the worst drought in forty years during the 2023/2024 season, Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector had grown to become a USD 10.3 billion industry, a feat that he described as a testament to the collective resilience.
“This remarkable achievement is a testament to our collective resilience. We have seen record wheat production, making us a regional breadbasket once more. We have witnessed the rebirth of our horticulture sector, with blueberries and avocados earning crucial foreign currency. Our livestock herd is recovering, and our irrigation capacity is expanding. Food security in our rural households has improved from 44% in 2020 to 85% today. These are not just statistics; they are stories of transformed lives and communities, he said.
Dr Masuka also highlighted that the agricultural sector was already geared for the next five years following the launch of the Agriculture Food Systems and Transformational Strategy by the President, His Excellency, Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa at the end of October. The new blue-print is built on ten foundational pillars built to ensure food sovereignty, food security, agriculture as a business, rural industrialisation and climate resilience.
