‘Produce inputs locally’
LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Government has implored all inputs producers to step up efforts to produce locally to deal with potential global supply chain disruptions caused by global occurrences like Covid-19 and Russia/Ukraine war.
Zimbabwe is a net importer of top dressing fertiliser and it depends on Russian and Ukraine for the fertiliser and with war in Eastern Europe, shortages hit the country whenever there are some disturbances.
In a post Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said urgent steps are required towards localised input production.
“The Covid-19 pandemic, the disruption of global supply chains for food, fuel and fertiliser, and geo-political developments, principally in major input and crop supply regions, have all heightened the need for Zimbabwe to attain our own seed, food, feed, fibre, bio-oils and bio-fuels security,” Mutsvangwa said.
The Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy will therefore be reviewed to guarantee maximum productivity and to appropriately plan for increased production and productivity across all subsectors of agriculture.
This will entail distributing seed according to regions in which they produce optimal yields.
Mutsvangwa said the National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS) and the Special Programme for Import Substitution will be funded through AFC and CBZ Bank under the government performance guarantees.
