Venture Into Game Farming, Mujuru Urges Communities

Source: The Herald (Harare)

Date: 12 November 2005

Author: Thupeyo Muleya

Acting President Cde Joice Mujuru has urged communities here to venture into game farming, irrigation and ranching to alleviate the current food shortages and generate foreign currency.

Addressing a rally in Beitbridge yesterday, Cde Mujuru said since the border town was a drought prone area where animal husbandry was rife, it was wiser to put resources into such projects.

"We know that Beitbridge is a drought prone area where animal ranching is rife and if this programme is well managed, we can have a way of generating revenue for our families.

"The Government will also mobilise funds to support those farmers engaged in animal husbandry and irrigation farming. Development in any particular area comes through innovative minds. We cannot just rely on importing food when we can exploit our own resources," said Cde Mujuru.

She said the Government would soon make animal husbandry a priority in most districts of Matabeleland South where crop farming was not thriving.

Cde Mujuru said farmers should form co-operatives so that they can be able to access crop and livestock inputs loans.

The Acting President also said that ranching would also boost eco-tourism in the province and create thousands of jobs for the community.

She said the Government would also help in training farmers to fully equip them with skills necessary to run ranching businesses.

On irrigation, Cde Mujuru said there were many rivers in Matabeleland South flowing into the Limpopo River, which would make irrigation farming an easy task for the community.

"The province has many rivers flowing into the Limpopo River and we cannot starve while we have irrigation farming knowledge," she said.

She also urged the local community to venture into subsistence farming to produce enough food for their families.

Cde Mujuru added that subsistence farmers needed to produce enough for their families so that they would sell the surplus.

"Farmers need also to be innovative. We don't want a situation whereby projects derail because there is shortage of fuel, while we can use animal drawn ploughs for tilling our lands.

"The effective management of our agricultural projects will also contribute to the success of our land reform programme," she said.

Cde Mujuru, however, implored all stakeholders to have unity of purpose so that the country's agricultural reforms prospered.

The Acting President, who is on her third day of a whirlwind tour of Matabeleland South Province, also toured some irrigation schemes in Beitbridge east such as Kwala and Makombe Clinic.