Minister Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Dr Anxious Masuka, challenged farmers and stakeholders across Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector to embrace technology, strengthen preparedness and develop commercially viable value chains.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, yesterday, Minister Masuka said the transformation of the agricultural sector required producers to move beyond primary production and adopt technologies and business models capable of improving productivity, value addition and competitiveness.
“Farmers and stakeholders must embrace technology, strengthen preparedness and build commercially viable value chains as Zimbabwe targets agro-industrial transformation by 2030,” Masuka said.
The Minister informed that technology had become critical to modern agriculture, particularly as farmers face increasing pressure to improve productivity, manage production costs and meet the changing requirements of domestic and international markets.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development was using the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show to showcase innovations that could help farmers and other players across the value chain improve production and competitiveness.
At ZAS 2026, the Ministry is showcasing innovations driving production, value addition, competitiveness and regional market access,” he said.
Masuka said the focus should not be limited to increasing agricultural output, but should also encompass processing and value addition to ensure farmers and businesses derive greater economic returns from agricultural commodities.
“Farmers should develop stronger links across the agricultural value chain, enabling raw materials to be processed locally into products that can compete in regional and international markets,” he said.
The push for technology adoption is also expected to improve efficiency across the agricultural sector through better production methods, mechanisation, information systems and other innovations that can support farmers in responding to changing market and climatic conditions.
The Government’s agro-industrial transformation agenda is anchored on increasing agricultural productivity, expanding value addition and strengthening market linkages, with the ultimate goal of making agriculture a more competitive and commercially sustainable pillar of the economy by 2030.
