State entities to contribute 40% of agric target

RYAN CHIGOCHE

Government-owned entities have been challenged to contribute 40% of the US$10bn agriculture gross domestic product target to be achieved by 2025.

Speaking at the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement mid-year review and planning meeting held in the capital last week, the permanent secretary, John Basera said the government was pinning its hopes on the leadership to direct the affairs of the State owned entities (SOEs).

“It is our hope that SOEs will contribute over 40% of the agriculture GDP by 2025 surpassing yesteryear’s glorious performance,” Basera said.

He said the SOEs should all focus on production, productivity and profitability iced by partnerships as most of our programmes, projects and interventions require collaboration amongst yourselves”.

“We are as strong as our weakest link. We can only do more. We need alliance synergies to achieve our developmental aspirations within our sector,” Basera said.

SOEs have been perennial loss makers and corruption has been rampant in these institutions.

In her 2020 report on State entities, the auditor general, Mildred Chiri, highlighted that 73% of audited entities had governance issues including weak internal controls, undocumented joint venture arrangements, unsupported expenditure, absence of bank reconciliations, non-compliance with income tax provisions and other issues around risk management arrangements.

These governance issues are the reason some of these entities have failed to generate any profits as funds and resources leak with no one being held accountable.

Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement minister, Anxious Masuka said the ministry was targeting to achieve food security and build on the positive performances of the previous season.