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Dr Made

Freeman Razemba Senior Reporter—
Newly-appointed SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax of Tanzania yesterday said she was delighted with progress being made in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. Dr Tax, who is in the country on a familiarisation tour, was appointed by SADC Heads of State and Government to take over as the bloc’s Executive Secretary  from  Dr Tomaz  Salomao last year.

Speaking after her delegation met Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made at his offices in Harare, Dr Tax said agriculture was important to the region.

“Agriculture is very key to regional integration and especially to SADC regional integration because you cannot talk of poverty reduction and economic development without discussing about agriculture and also co-operating in agriculture,” she said.

“We are delighted with the progress being done in this sector, but a lot needs to be done.”
Dr Tax said she had a number of issues to discuss with Government as President Mugabe would this year assume the post of SADC Chair.

Dr Made said agriculture was critical to the success of Government’s economic blueprint, Zim Asset, which contains four clusters.
“The first cluster, being the chief among them, is the Food, Nutrition and Security Cluster,” he said.

“The cluster is anchored by other clusters as well.”
Dr Made gave her a brief analysis of Zim Asset and the wider agricultural sector.

He said there was also need to mobilise financial resources, human resources, physical resources and the necessary strategies in the sector.

Meanwhile, Dr Made left the country yesterday to attend a Food and Agricultural Organisation regional meeting in Tunisia. FAO regional conferences are an official forum where agriculture ministers and other officials discuss challenges and priority matters related to food and agriculture, with a view of promoting regional coherence on global policies and political issues.