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The missing link that continues to relegate most farmers into the subsistence category is the lack of modern farming equipment

Tendai Mugabe : Senior Reporter

In the year 2000, Zimbabwe embarked on a land reform programme that attracted the attention of the world. A lot has been said about this noble initiative which was aimed at empowering the majority by giving them back the land, a means of production, taken from indigenous Zimbabweans by the colonialists. The country’s erstwhile enemies were dismayed by the move as it dispossessed and injured their local kith and kin.Thus, they dismissed the land reform programme as a political gimmick.

Nonetheless, the Government remained resolute and focused on this empowerment path which saw more than 300 000 Zimbabweans becoming land owners.

If anything, the issue of land was at the heart of the liberation struggle and the Zimbabwean story could not have been complete without returning land to its rightful owners.

However, almost two decades after the land reform programme some indigenous farmers, especially commercial, still face challenges.

Many challenges have been encountered in the farming business since 2000 that have impacted negatively on the indigenous farmer.

Among other challenges, the indigenous farmer has been a victim of climate change which has resulted in the country experiencing an erratic rainfall pattern.

The El Niño induced drought which has affected most parts of Africa has made the situation worse.

Some farmers have simply gone the subsistence route to cushion themselves from the challenges both man-made and natural.

However, the missing link that continues to relegate most farmers into the subsistence category is the lack of modern farming equipment, knowledge and professional practices with regards to modern successful commercial farming.

Government through President Mugabe’s policies has seen the country slowly moving towards mechanised farming which is the only way of ensuring maximum yields in the current climate.

Under the Brazilian food for Africa programme, farmers in different provinces have benefited from the latest farming equipment.

Government has struck another deal with Belarus which has pledged to aid the country with the very latest equipment in the agricultural sector.

Although Government is doing everything in its capacity to empower farmers, there are certain areas that rate higher on the list of priorities.

President Mugabe has urged the private sector to complement Government efforts in reviving the economy.

To this end, a local firm Southern Region Trading Company has heeded this call and vowed to revive the country’s breadbasket status and ensure that farmers get the very best from their land.

The firm is providing state-of-the-art agricultural equipment with the capacity to transform the country’s agricultural sector.

From amongst the expansive list of equipment offered by the firm are the latest tractors and combine harvesters from Europe, United States and Brazil.

Speaking to The Herald after the tour of the company’s premises in Harare, Southern Region Company chief operating officer Mr Jason Smith said they were being driven by the desire to provide total solutions to the challenges facing farmers.

He said their ultimate goal was to transform the agricultural sector technologically and engage in newer and refined methods of farming commonly known as precision farming with a view to revive the country’s breadbasket status.

“We have the agency to provide Case tractors locally,” he said.

“There is no reason why we should not achieve the yields we aspire for, and supersede the yields of the famed levels of the late 80s and 90s. There may be a host of excuses, but the bottom line is, we have to roll our sleeves and dig into the ground.

“We have to realise the immense potential the land has to offer and extract the maximum benefit from what is available to us. We at Southern Region Trading have the very best in modern agricultural technology, we readily offer it at extremely competitive prices even when compared on a global scale, and we train users in achieving these goals with the aim of orientating users to revive the breadbasket status of our country.

“That is our vision. What we want to do is to change agriculture in this country with the very latest in equipment.

“It is our responsibility to feed not only our nation but the region as well. We did it before and there is no reason why we cannot do it now. In fact, with the latest technology that we currently offer, the yields should be even higher.”

Another official from Southern Region Company, Mr Musekiwa Khumbula said they had introduced a new range of technological advances that improves yields which is monitored by satellite signals.

He said agriculture was the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy and it ought to be treated as a profitable business.

“We provide auto guidance which is brand new to this country where the machine is set to run on certain lines of the field without human interventions,” said Mr Khumbula.

“For example, when ploughing, tilling, sowing or harvesting, the operator is prevented from making errors as the computer automatically guides the machine to follow the most conducive paths. This is monitored via a base station grid and satellite signals.

“This technology changes everything because your yields become better and it improves efficiency because everything is done using technology to get the very best out of the land.

“What we do as a business is not just import and provide equipment. We carry a very large inventory of spare parts for the equipment we supply. Our main focus is to provide solutions to the farmers.

“We are the first company in this industry to offer service or maintenance plans and packages and our technology reduces the cost of maintenance and enables customers to track the cost of running and maintaining their machine by just pressing a button.”

Mr Khumbula said they keep computerised records of all the machinery they supply and inform clients when the machinery is due for service.

Mr Khumbula added: “We also provide expertise for big projects where it is necessary. As a country, we have the capacity to do a lot better than what we are doing but we have to do things with a lot of innovation and we have to do things that add value.

“In the early eighties and nineties our national average on the maize yield was 1,6 tonnes per hectare which is still very low considering the vast amounts of fertile land we have at our disposal coupled with our favourable climate. Currently the national output is 0,4 tonnes per hectare which is very poor.

“Farmers who have begun utilising the equipment we currently offer, have realised high yields per hectare compared to those who are still using traditional farming methods. With this, we can transform our agriculture significantly within a couple of seasons.”