The Sunday Mail
Lincoln Towindo
First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe says Government should promote local agro-processing and market gardening, which both face intense competition from imports.
She told thousands of Zanu-PF supporters in Murehwa yesterday that the continued importation of tomatoes, potatoes and onions was partly responsible for the viability challenges domestic producers grappled with.
She urged Government to quickly step in, possibly with legislation, to help boost production.
Mashonaland East — the province hosting the rally — is renowned for quality horticultural products.
“Tinotaura nenyaya yevalue addition. Kuno kwaMutoko inyika yemberi muno muZimbabwe.
‘‘KwaMutoko kunouku kune vanhu vanorima, vanoda zvekurima zvikuru. Tinozviziva munorima matomatoes, nezvimwe zvakawanda wanda nemafruits amunotora musango akaita semasawu,” said the First Lady.
“But inini chinhu chiri kundirwadza ikozvine izvi, Minister of Industry, kuri kuuya matomatoes muno. Nemhaka yei anobva kuSouth Africa isu tichirima matomatoes munomu? Hatisi kuzvifarira isu nekuti madzimai arikurwadziwa.”
She also said: “(Madzimai) anomukirira kunoadyara, kunobvisa maweeds; anomukira kunoadiridza, onoakohwa. Kuti anoatengesa hapachisina market.
‘‘Pasina nguva, matomatoes aye awora nekuti kune mazitomatoes ari kuuya.
“Mazikoronyera ari kuita basa rekutsvaga malicence vachiunza matomatoes nemapotatoes nemaonion pasi navo!
‘‘Zvino mukaramba muchitidaro isu semadzimai muchitirwadzisa, tikazomira mira hamuzotidi. Haa, on that one, zvechokwadi tichamira mira nekuti makuti jairira. Pasi necorruption!”
Amai Mugabe encouraged Government to promote value addition as envisaged by Zim-Asset.
“Kunze kwekuti tivabetserewo tiise mafactories ekuti we can the tomatoes, even drying the tomatoes, muti batsire tiite mapuree nemamwe maproducts akawanda wanda anogadzirwa nematomatoes; imi makupa vanhu malicences nekuti imi muri kuwanawo something ipapo. Hatidi, icorruption iyoyo. Hapana chatiri kuda isu. Hatidi mahand-outs; toda kuzvisenzera tega, simba tinaro.”
She added: “Ndinotaura nepassion nekuti zvinondirwadzawo. Kune mukaka unopinda munomu zvekuti mukaka ndinotadza kutengesa saka ndiri kutaura ndichireva kurwadziwa kwamuri kuita ndiko kwandiri kuita inini.
“Ngati protecteyi maindustries edu. Kune vamwe vanhu vari retrogressive vasingade kuti programme yedu yeZim-Asset ibudirire Kana vakubvunzwa vonyepa. Toda kuti Minister of Agriculture vatibetserewo ipapa.”
Uzumba House of Assembly representative Cde Simbaneuta Mudarikwa welcomed Amai Mugabe’s call, saying Mashonaland East could significantly contribute to Zimbabwe’s development if farmers received the required legislative support.
“Our farmers take their produce to Harare and fail to sell it because products are coming in from outside. They return here with their produce and then sell a goat so that they can pay for the wasted transportation to Harare while their tomatoes rot.
“This province can contribute significantly to Zimbabwe’s GDP if we get the basics of value addition right. This is what Zim-Asset is all about.”
