Farming can produce millionaires: Tagwirei

STAFF WRITER

Business magnate, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, has exhorted beneficiaries of the land reform programme, who have started getting bankable title deeds, to fully exploit the resource, saying there is potential for millionaires to emerge from the farming sector.
Tagwirei made the remarks in his capacity as Chairperson of the Land Tenure Implementation Committee, which has structured the new deeds that were launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2024.
In an interview beamed by ZBC TV in the “Face the Nation” programme on Wednesday ,Tagwirei said the deeds gave farmers access to affordable financing for their operations.
He said the biggest problem was that when people encountered challenges, they tended to flee rather than confront them. By fully utilising land, Tagwirei said, many of the nation’s economic challenges could be overcome.
“There are two animals that recognise a storm is coming: there is a cow and there is a buffalo. Their reaction is that a cow runs away from the storm. But obviously the storm is going to catch up and the cow is going to be in the storm for a longer period of time.
“A buffalo, on the other hand, goes directly into the storm. Because of its strength, it is going to endure but its endurance is going to be for a short period of time,” he said.
Tagwirei continued: “I am saying to Zimbabweans, we must not fear what God has given, what the President has given us. We must take it and we must use it; face (the storm) head on. Let us not run away.
“Let is use this land. The President is creating wealth in us by giving us this land. There are going to be millionaires from just working this land.”
Pointing to Israel from both religio-historical and contemporary perspectives, he said, “When you look at the Israelites when they moved from Egypt to Canaan, they were given their land. Each family was given a piece of land which was identifiable. … When you look at Israel now, their GDP is around US$300 billion and it’s on the basis of agricultural reform. And it is on the basis of decisions (made long ago).
“So we must not fear. We must look at this head on and from that we ate going to have wealth, we are going to have wealth.
“And that is what I want to leave to Zimbabweans: if you want to have wealth, take this challenge head on and we will be successful.”