He told a three-day workshop in Harare last week, organised by The Mandi Rukuni Seminars, that the country's administrators should pave the way forward for the once-thriving agriculture sector to return to the heights it achieved during the 1980s and early 1990s.
"This economy catches a huge cold when agriculture coughs. Look at the last 50 years. If agriculture ticks, you sell more bread, people buy more suits and women more dresses and the economy ticks. It can all work if you have the right practice and both private as well as public sector support."
Rukuni said technically speaking, there were no economies of scale in agriculture.
For the sector to regain its financial muscle seven steps needed to be taken urgently.
1. "We need better farm management skills," he said. "We need professionals who not only can run companies but also commercial farms and who have invested in farming. Human resources assets require revamping various institutions so that the brain drain is stopped."
2. Better land distribution techniques. "Land users not only need access to land but to soil and water conservation."
3. Better technological products and services support, including improved seed, better methods, improved animal husbandry, research, processing and value addition.
4. Long-term finance to purchase land and equipment, medium-term finance for machines and irrigation and short-term finance for seasonal finance.
5. Physical and biological infrastructure – "There is need to invest heavily in roads, reticulated water for irrigation and domestic use, as well as access to electricity and telecommunication services," Rukuni said.
6. Better farmer support institutions – "We have brilliant technical advisory services but we do not have good business advisory services. Farming must be viable and can do business with better institutions.
"I think we must adopt the former Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) Model. They had a strong union with political power, commodity associations, and Clubs for get-togethers to address their issues," he said.
7. A conducive economic and political environment. "You need politicians who give top priority to agriculture. Agriculture is an important sector because the majority of the people are still rural," he said.
The "very quiet" Zimbabwe Investment Authority, currently led by Richard Mbaiwa, said there were a wide "array of investment opportunities" in agriculture that have the potential to boost the sector's viability.
Production increase
Maize: 2010, 1,3 million tonnes 2009, 575 000 tonnes
Tobacco: 2010,123 million tonnes 2008, 45 million tonnes
Cotton: 2010, 260,000 tonnes
2009, 235,000 tonnes
Sugar: 2010 350,000 tonnes
2009, 298,000 tonnes
Post published in: Zimbabwe News