Govt strikes US$170m farm mechanisation deal

THE Government is set to seal a US$170 million deal to buy close to 4 000 high-tech tractors and combine harvesters at concessional rates under the third phase of the Belarus Farm Mechanisation Facility.

Last week, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Piotr Parkhomchik, led a high-level delegation on a week-long tour of duty in the country to finalise the deal, which was secured by President Mnangagwa during his State visit to Minsk in 2018. Zimbabwe has so far procured 1 337 tractors and combine harvesters — the bulk of which have since been delivered — through the facility. The tractors were manufactured by the Belarusian company MTZ.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, chief director for Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Soil Conservation in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Engineer Edwin Zimunga, said Government is prioritising the modernisation of agriculture.

“We are working round the clock to make sure that we modernise and mechanise our agriculture for improved production with less human labour,” he said.

“The current deal, which we are working on, will see us receive at least 3 750 tractors and 60 more combine harvesters from our Belarusian friends.”

Zimbabwe currently has a fleet of 10 800 tractors and 189 combine harvesters, which is a marked improvement from 7 000 tractors in 2019.

“With the coming on board of this US$169,9 million deal and other facilities, we want to push our tractor fleet to about 15 000 by the year 2025. This is a concessional deal in which governments capacitate each other.

“In this case, with the experience Belarus has, they are sharing that knowledge with us so that we improve our agriculture sector.”

He said combine-harvesting capacity had improved by more than 100 000 hectares during this year’s ongoing winter harvesting season.

“Farmers have been blaming the subdued agricultural performance on lack of machinery, but this is now a thing of the past,” added Eng Zimunga.

President Mnangagwa engaged his Belarusian counterpart, President Alexander Lukashenko, in 2018 to support the farm mechanisation programme through the supply of farm equipment and training of local farmers in cultivation, seeding, irrigation and crop harvesting. The two leaders discussed co-operation in the mining and transport sectors.

President Lukashenko is scheduled to be in Zimbabwe in December on an official visit that is expected to further enhance economic co-operation between the two countries.