Gvt Curbs Post Harvest Loses

Itai Mazire

Government has handed over critical post-harvest and mechanisation equipment to smallholder farmers in a major push to slash post-harvest losses and boost national food security, the Ministry of Finance announced yesterday.

The consignment, delivered under the Zimbabwe Agricultural Productivity Programme includes 1 000 metal silos of 0.25 metric tonnes, 1 100 silos of 1.0 metric tonne, 70 multi-crop threshers, and five combine harvesters.

“The support includes 1 000 units of 0.25 MT metal silos, 1 100 units of 1.0 MT metal silos, 70 multi-crop threshers and 5 combine harvesters,” the Ministry said, specifying the equipment is “targeted at smallholder farmers, A1 and communal farming sectors to improve storage, efficiency and value addition.”

The handover marks a strong collaboration between Government, the African Development Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

“This milestone reflects strong collaboration between Government, the African Development Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations whose financial and technical support continues to drive resilience, productivity and climate-smart agriculture,” read the statement.

The initiative is squarely aligned with the Treasury’s broader economic blueprint.

“Aligned with ZimTreasury’s focus on sustainable public finance and economic growth, the initiative supports food security, improved livelihoods and agricultural transformation under Vision 2030,” the Ministry added.

Analysts said the mechanisation drive could significantly cut the estimated 30 percent of grain lost annually due to poor storage and manual handling.