MAHINDRA TO BRING IN 3 000 TRACTORS:
THE world’s largest tractor manufacturer, Mahindra, is targeting to bring over 3 000 tractors into Zimbabwe in the near future as part of efforts to empower and mechanise small-scale farmers’ operations and increase productivity.
This comes at a time President Mnangagwa’s administration is moving towards mechanising and improving small-scale farmers. This is meant to help ramp up production as the country moves to retain its breadbasket status.
Managing director Joseph Shonhiwa of Agria, a company operating in partnership with Mahindra in Zimbabwe, told The Herald Business that the company is ready to take over the biggest share of the country’s tractor population.
“Zimbabwe’s tractor requirement is around 30 000 units and we are not even at half of that in terms of tractor population.
“We are targeting to have a market share of 10 percent of the intended tractor population in the country, which means we will bring about 3 000 tractors to help the small-scale farmers to realise profits on farms,” said Mr Shonhiwa.
The company’s thrust for the Zimbabwean market is for the farmers to be more profitable by having machinery efficiency. Mahindra has an array of tractors ranging from 15 horse-power to 105 horse-power, with 15 horse-power tractors going for $8 000 and 90 horse-power going for about $32 000.
Mr Shonhiwa said; “We would like to see smallscale farmers winning and increasing productivity by owning a tractor.
“What Zimbabwe is doing right now is attracting a lot of investors and we can’t let that opportunity slip in our hands and what we are doing is to see a farmer increasing productivity and make money and profits. The fact is we can bring a wealth of experience from the biggest tractor company in the world into Zimbabwe not only in terms agriculture products and consultancy and technical collaborations with the local farmers.”
The company intends to see more small-scale farmers improving productivity and enhancing life in communities.
In the near future Mahindra intends to invest in Zimbabwe but will depend on the industry’s capacity of local partners Willowvale Motor.
Mahindra believes that by making agriculture implements and machinery cheaper, more jobs will be created at a faster rate. Its first batch before month end is expected to bring 23 tractors.
Mahindra opened a Durban tractor plant in South Africa two weeks ago and their next plant will be in Zimbabwe, depending on the readiness of their local partners. It aims to be the number one tractor manufacturer in Zimbabwe.
Mr Shonhiwa said small tractors address the issues of reliability and efficiency as various farmers need tailor-made tractors which are more resourceful.
“After doing our mathematics with various financiers across the globe there is a likelihood of a Mahindra tractor boom in the country.”
He said the tractor company is supporting Government’s import substitution programme by availing a range of tractors of various sizes depending on the size of farmers’ operations.
Given the cost of fuel in the country, Mahindra expects a farmer to own an efficient tractor. They have a workshop in Eastlea, a mobile service unit and a dealer in Bulawayo with a possibility of appointing many other dealers across the country.
If a farmer buys their tractor, the Mahindra team commissions it at his or her farm and trains a couple of people to service it. The first service will be free of charge.
Government through President Mnangagwa’s policies has seen the country slowly moving towards mechanised farming, which is the only way of ensuring maximum yields in the current climate.
Under the Brazilian More Food for Africa programme, farmers in different provinces have benefited from the latest farming equipment.
Government has struck another deal with Belarus which has pledged to aid the country with the very latest equipment in the agricultural sector.
Although Government is doing everything in its capacity to empower farmers, priorities have to be shared.