Speaking today (Wednesday ) at the official launch of European Union support to Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector, the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Ngoni Masoka said E.U should consider increasing more funding for the benefit of small scale farmers.
The E.U unveiled a $12 million contribution which will be delivered from 2013 to 2015 and is aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and food and nutrition security among the farmers.
The funds are being channeled through Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the official German Cooperation, GIZ and a non-governmental organisation HELP, from Germany.
“We appreciate the funds that you have extended to the country today but we are appealing for more funding. The sector is in need of intervention in areas such as irrigation and mechanisation as they are central to increasing agricultural production, said Masoka.
He said smallholder farmers who constitute about 1, 4 million farming households were facing a number of challenges which included limited access to working capital, lack of adequate machinery and limited access to working capital.
The European Union Ambassador, Aldo Dell’ Ariccia said E.U would continue contributing to the agriculture sector so as to create an enabling environment to improve food and nutrition security.
“ The EU strongly recognises the importance of the agriculture sector not only in respect of its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product but in particular as a source of livelihood for the large majority of the population in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Present at the launch was the country Director for HELP from Germany, Christoph Laufens, FAO Emergency and Rehabilitation Coordinator Zimbabwe, Jean Claude Urvoy and Head of Agency GIZ Zimbabwe, Winfried Hamacher.
Post published in: Agriculture
If the Zimbabwe Government had kept the white farmers on the land with some form of incentive, then there would have been employment and food for the people. What happens now – The Zimbabwe Government pleads to the Whites at the EU for funding so that the Government Cronies can steal and squander the money. To the EU – Shame on you why not fund white farmers, employ locals and re-establish the legitimate commercial farmers of Zimbabwe, its better than giving the Government money!!!
The EU supporting production on stolen land! For all the world saying the whites stole the land, Zimbabwe has been independent since 1980, most farms were bought after this time (so anyone who wanted to could get finance from the bank), that is how most parts of the world works. So why different here! SHAME ON EVERYONE!
The farmers who stayed in Zimbabwe after Indepenence had accepted the the change and were then part of the black population of Zimbabwe with the same interrest of building the new country ecomically.There aws no need to kill them. The government had powers to legislate policies that would train the black sector 0n modern methods of farming, instead of killing white farmers
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