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Elita Chikwati Senior Reporter

While some youths have left the country in search of greener pasture, others have opted to stay put, face the challenges and prove their mettle in farming.

Forty-year-old Tendai Munengwa has worked hard from being a small-scale poultry producer to a commercial producer who now enjoys the fruits of his hard labour.

Although Munengwa has become one of the icons to be recognised among prominent farmers in Mashonaland East, his journey has not been easy.

He started in 2008 and due to lack of funding and other resources, the journey has not been rosy.

Having been young when Government embarked on the land reform programme, Munengwa does not own any land but decided to lease structures at Mukwene Plot B in Goromonzi to venture into poultry production.

It was not easy at first as the structures had been vandalised and needed resuscitation. He did not have enough resources but saved and started rehabilitating some of the structures that included the fowl runs.

MEN AT WORK. . .Munengwa (right) and one of his workers

“I started renovating a single fowl run that had the capacity of 20 000 chickens with assistance from Crest CFI Holdings. Life was not easy as some people started claiming the farm after they had seen our progress and from time to time there were disturbances.

“In 2008 economic hardships hit on the sponsor and Cresta CFI withdrew and I failed to continue with the renovations of the structures. I had to secure own finding to start again and managed to complete a single chicken run in 2014,” he said.

With a brood of chicks, Munengwa started production and the number gradually increased. Lady Luck smiled on Munengwa in 2016 when Profarmer, a subsidiary of Profeeds, came to his rescue.

“With the company’s assistance, I constructed another fowl run with a capacity of 20 000 and started rearing 15 000 birds. The second batch had 27 000 and currently I have a batch of 30 000 birds.

“I am in the process of renovating the third fowl run, but continuous threats from some retrogressive people remain a cause for concern which call for lasting solutions on the part of the Land Department,” he said.

Munengwa hailed the new dispensation for introducing the Youth Empower Bank, a good initiative that will go a long way in empowering youths who did not have access to capital.

“Now I am into contract farming. The system is a win-win situation and the risk is worth it. I get chicks, feeds and technical expertise and the most important thing is that I have a ready viable market. It is not easy to produce 20 000 chickens when you do not have a ready market,” he said.

A brood of chicks on the way to maturity

Munengwa’s advice to other youths is that agriculture is not an overnight business but requires patience and hard work if you are to excel at the end of the day.

“You should be willing to learn from others and to be bold enough to take risks. It is not advisable to be cellphone farmers as it is highly risky and will not take you anywhere,” he said.

“Youths should take the cue from Government that agriculture is the backbone of the economy. If most youths engage in agriculture, we are assured of food security and exports which will bring the much need foreign currency into the country. Moreover we will be able to create employment. I have 15 contract employees at my farm and from time to time hire casual labourers.

“We cannot import chickens from Brazil when we have vast tracks of land and so many youths in the country. Youths should join forces and approach Government to avail land to them than being crybabies, than waiting for government to do everything, It is highly profitable to engage in farming,” he said.

“I appeal to relevant authorities to avail land to youths so they can engage in income generating projects such as poultry production.”

He said one will be able to make long term investments if he has land unlike when leasing or renting farms.

Munengwa said through his poultry business, he has managed to employ 15 workers and realise huge profits. He does not regret ever deciding to go into farming as this is now paying dividends though the road was not easy.

Besides being a commercial producer, Munengwa is a renowned broadcast journalist and covers agricultural issues.

“I have been covering issues to do with agriculture production for long, I believe land is now in our hands and like what President Mnangagwa declared, it is irreversible but the only grey area which calls for attention is for a the relevant authorities to iron out land disputes, and also identify all land which is not being put to good use and allocate it to serious farmers,” Munengwa said.

A seasoned journalist with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, Munengwa is married to Diana and they have three daughters, Zvikomborero, Tererai and Makanaka. He paid tribute to his family for being supportive of his business venture.