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Liberty Dube Mutare Bureau
BANANA producers must take farming seriously and utilise all resources at their disposal, as bananas have the capacity to bring in more foreign currency than tobacco, an official has advised.

Speaking after a tour of Fangudu Farm in Burma Valley last Friday, Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Minister Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri (Retired) said plans were afoot to incorporate banana farming into Command Agriculture.

“We are there to assist farmers. I have attended several field days across the country but what I saw today is unique and special. We have abundant land, water and good soil that can allow us to have booming banana farming. Farmers should use these resources and work on value addition.

“Banana farming is a money printing machine, which if fully capitalised on, can bring more foreign currency than tobacco. Farmers should go the extra mile, be innovative and take banana farming seriously, particularly here in Burma Valley, which is a rich banana farming area,” he said.

Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Absalom Chimonyo was the host farmer.

The field day was jointly organised by Fangundu Farm and fertiliser manufacturers Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC).

Minister Shiri hailed Lt-Gen Chimonyo for embracing technology.

“Farmers like Lt-Gen Chimonyo should embrace technology, for instance, the use of agricultural drones to inspect progress and do field analysis.

“Drones have made the job easier since they can show the state of plants, plant population and weed infestation,” he said.

Added Minister Shiri: “Government understands your challenges but we urge you to use your land productively. We will not hesitate to deal with farmers who are not fully utilising their land. I encourage you to have joint ventures and make sure that you fully utilise the land. Hatingaregere nyika ichitadza kubudirira because of lazy farmers. Do not create dead capital.”

The farm is 252 hectares of which about 96 are arable. From 2006 a total of 36,8ha of the current total 58,6ha were being utilised.

However, the farmer has faced challenges such as shortages of fertilisers and other key chemicals such as herbicides and nematicides, a situation attributed to scarce foreign currency resources. The farm employs 117 people.

Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Monica Mutsvangwa whose speech was read by Manicaland provincial administrator Mr Edgars Seenza emphasised the importance of financing banana production as a country by incorporating the crop into command agriculture.