ZCFU revises projected agric growth rate

THE Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) has revised its projected agriculture growth rate to 8 percent from 15,7 percent on the back of anticipated negative impact of the late onset of the rainy season.

ZCFU said late start to the 2017/18 rainy season had affected the crop situation across the country hence the agriculture sector would not achieve initially projected growth and performance.

In his 2018 National Budget Finance and Economic Planning Minister Patrick Chinamasa projected agriculture to grow by 15,9 percent in 2017, on the back of coordinated Government interventions and private sector initiatives.

The extension of Command Agriculture Programme to include soya beans and livestock is expected to sustain the growth.

However, ZCFU president Mr Wonder Chabikwa indicated the late onset of the rain season, which resulted in crops wilting in many parts of the country posed a threat to the sector, the backbone of the economy.

“Projected agriculture sector growth at 15,7 percent — before the dry conditions — revised to 8 percent on backdrop of wilting crops,” said Mr Chabikwa in a presentation at the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) 2018 economic outlook symposium.

Overall, the economy is projected to grow by 4,5 percent.

Mr Chabikwa however highlighted weather patterns had a bearing on the performance of the agriculture