Phillimon Mlanga
The European Union (EU) will inject €80 million into Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector. Timo Olkkonen, the EU ambassador to Zimbabwe, disclosed this, this week, saying the investment will go towards the formulation of a new land policy, land audit, a livestock project, and food security.
“We are investing about €80m (US$90m) in Zimbabwe, which is targeting the agriculture sector,” Olkkonen told Business Times.
“One of the intervention is to support agriculture to be more competitive, to be more productive and to help private sector growth. So we have a variety of interventions that will help in the formulation of a new land policy and supporting land audit which is under way,” he said.
“We are also promoting value chains especially in the livestock sub-sector, to make the sub-sector competitive. We are also supporting resilient and food security because Zimbabwe is one of the countries that have suffered from climate change. We are, therefore, supporting activities that will make Zimbabwe resilient,” he added.
Following the land reform programme, the government has been keen, but struggling, to have a new system of land administration that will harness development in the agriculture sector.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has promised to compensate white farmers for the improvements they made on the land, as he seeks to restore relationships with international lenders and the West.
Compensation and land audits will deal with disputes, potentially paving the way for a new land policy.
