Another billionaire investor flies in
ANOTHER billionaire, Mr Shashank Kumar, the co-founder and chief executive of DeHaat, arrived in Zimbabwe yesterday to explore business opportunities.
DeHaat is an Indian technology company that connects small-scale farmers to suppliers, technology and expertise.
His visit comes hard on the heels of the arrival of another delegation of billionaires who landed in Harare on Monday to explore and establish businesses.
Mr Kumar touched down at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport yesterday afternoon and was welcomed by Prevail Group chief executive Mr Paul Tungwarara and another investor already in the country, Mr Javaid Farooqui.
Mr Kumar expressed gratitude to be in the country as a guest of President Mnangagwa. He is also part of the Zimbabwe Global Investment vehicle.
“DeHaat is a proven technology and platform in India working with more than 1,2 million small and marginal farmers.
“We are helping them to get everything under one roof from which crop to grow, to how to grow. We have technology that helps them to maximise agricultural income so they can afford a better livelihood.
“So the purpose of the visit is to understand and evaluate opportunities in agriculture and related investment in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Mr Farooqui, another co-founder of DeHaat, said with the world increasingly going digital, farmers should also embrace digital technology to enhance their businesses.
“DeHaat has created technology to communicate with farmers. Basically, soil testing, environment, and climate have to be monitored and the impact of pesticides. So everything has to be digital so that we can get data and analyse it and improve services in the country.
“There are other technologies which basically help farmers to connect back to us to give them the right information at the right time about their crops, soil conditions and the output they are generating,” he said.
Mr Farooqui said in a digital world, farmers simply need a cell phone to get information.
“They can just take a picture of their farm and upload it to us and we will know what the problem is. Everything is digital,” he said.
Mr Farooqui also thanked Mr
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Tungwarara for bringing them into the country after meeting in Dubai where he explained the vast investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.
On his part, Mr Tungwarara said he was glad to be receiving Mr Kumar who is coming from a billion-dollar company.
“We are so glad to have them and I believe the Government is going to welcome them since this is a programme that will uplift the lives of people even from the villages. We need the programme to be rolled out, I am sure they are ready,” he said.
The delegation is being led by United Arab Emirates billionaire investor, Mr Shaji Ul Mulk, who arrived on Monday with other investors.