RECENTLY I met a mudhumeni, our government agricultural officers, who made an interesting observation.
He asked a question that got me seriously thinking about the trajectory our agriculture is taking and how fast it can grow.
The mudhumeni asked me to consider the value that will be added to our agricultural sector in the event that for every ex-Japanese car imported into the country, a tractor from the same source is also brought in.
And there I was, the following day, reading that more than US$400 million has been used in importing of vehicles, my mind literally went into overdrive.
In the event that that amount had been used to bring in various agricultural equipment, which include combine harvesters, the face of our agriculture would be significantly transformed.
Government must consider rebates and tax breaks for people that import agricultural equipment.
Loans at concessionary rates must also be availed for productive people that have not been able to maximise production as a result of lack of equipment.
And Government must be pro-active; it must not wait for individuals to approach it with request for rebates.
It has compiled the figures, it knows how much is being spent on ‘luxury’ goods such as cars and it must come up with a system that will entice people to purchase tractors and combine harvesters instead of the ‘luxuries’.
Be rest assured that the more than US$400 million used to purchase vehicles was spent by individuals, a large chunk who have pieces of land that will greatly benefit from a tractor.
And the onus is not only on Government, but us as well.
Instead of purchasing another vehicle, why not go for a tractor or a combine harvester.
I have seen people; a lot of people, colleagues included perusing the pages of the popular Be Forward site looking for cars.
But not once have I seen any of them looking at, just looking at, tractors.
We boast about being an educated and intelligent people and I think it is time that we become more practical and take advantage of available opportunities that can further improve our lives.
It is an open secret that these pieces of land have kept a majority of us going in these difficult times as our economy tries to recover from more than a decade of battering.
And bringing in latest technologies and machinery will boost output levels.
Our farmers beyond doubt continue to improve and prove our erstwhile colonisers wrong.
VanaMuseyamwa, vanaMukanya, vanaSamanyanga, vanaGushungo, vanaMoyo, oKhumalo, oNxumalo, oDlamini, oNdiweni and many others have become masters of the land.
And every year the output from our land increases, our skills continue to improve.
It is only the equipment gap that threatens our success.
We can do so much more and get better with the right tools at our disposal.
The knowledge that is being delivered by our experts to ensure we produce quality products and surpass current production levels will come to naught without the right tools.
We now possess the requisite skills to produce on our land and if we get our priorities right we will be unstoppable.
Let us import tractors and many other implements as if our lives depend on it because they do.