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access to technology and inputs.
This will ultimately improve productivity.
The farmers will be drawn from four of the country’s 10 provinces.
Farmer unions, newly trained agro-dealers and a local non-governmental organisation are carrying out the agro-dealership revival programme throughout the country.
Under the scheme, agro-dealers will receive training and technical assistance in setting up their agro-dealerships as well as sponsorship for short-term credit from agriculture input supply companies in dry provinces such as Masvingo, Matebeleland North and South as well as the Midlands.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union president Mr Silas Hungwe said the perennial challenge facing local farmers in acquiring inputs in urban centres and high transport costs could be brought to an end by spreading agro-dealerships.
Outgoing programme director for the Agro-dealer Strengthening Programme in Zimbabwe Mr Raymond Waldron said the initiative should become long term to ensure farmers have access to inputs.
The agro-dealers strengthening programme anticipates to improve production by 35 percent and cash income by 23 percent for the farmers involved.
Support and training to agro-dealers is geared to bring agro-dealer services closer to the country’s poorest farmers and revamp the market linkages between agro-suppliers and grassroots retailers.
In the recent past, countries in the Comesa grouping formed the Comesa Regional Agro Inputs Programme (COMRAP) designed to foster the emergence of improved financial packages aimed at smallholder farmers and agro-dealers.
Under the programme, Comesa will prepare banks to better assist smallholders and agro-dealers through organising training workshops where over 700 bank executives and front office staff and over 100 insurance officers will meet and interact with over 100 000 farmers.
The programme will contribute to increased access to structural financial services to farmers and reduce interest rates and increase the volume of loans to smallholders.
COMRAP programme is funded by the European Union and falls under the Common Market for East and Southern Africa and is being implemented by Comesa’s specialised agency, the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA).
The programme is currently being implemented in eight Comesa countries.
Agro-dealerships had over the years disappeared owing to a number of challenges encountered during implementation.