THE Government’s specialised import substitution maize programme, now commonly known as Command Agriculture, is off to a good start.
As usual, naysayers said nothing positive would come out of it.
They refused to see the possibilities, preferring to focus on everything that could go wrong.
The programme, they said, has been done elsewhere across the world, but with no success.
They forgot one thing; that we are Zimbabweans.
We are the eternally resilient; people who defy odds.
They forgot that they went haywire with their message of doom when we repossessed our land.
They dismissed us as an unproductive lot.
They said we would destroy the agriculture sector.
They said we would not achieve anything.
Now, they watch as smallholder farmers defy odds and produce tobacco on their land.
They watch in dismay while our people, forever defiant and hardworking, till the land and produce more from their land.
The same will be the case when the results of Command Agriculture become visible.
Reports indicate that more than 19 600 farmers have received adequate inputs.
Irrigable and dry land amounting to 163 865 hectares has been put under contract farming, with 75 percent of this already tilled.
The farmers with irrigation facilities have already put seed into the ground.
We celebrate the proponents of the programme as well as the farmers who have taken up the challenge.
This is a process in which we are firmly taking control of our destiny.
For long, we have been at the mercy of the elements.
We have been helpless and literally crossed our fingers hoping for the best, but now we are in control as we should be.
We are an intelligent people with all the resources required to succeed.
And it is a good thing that we have set off in the right direction.
This programme, I would like to believe, is not a one-off thing, but will continue into the future and be the bedrock of our agricultural activities.
Going into the future, let us ensure that our entire system complements this noble programme.
While Command Agriculture is anchored primarily on irrigation, the programme presents many other opportunities.
For instance, going into the future there is need for our people to develop their own irrigation technologies.
Agriculture is a huge industry with vast opportunities in the offing.
We have to develop our own technologies to complement the efforts of Command Agriculture.
Let us make use of our technical institutions to build our own tractors, combine harvesters and centre pivots.
The benefits are two-pronged.
First, we can export the technology and, second, we will save a lot of resources we are using to import agricultural equipment.
We need to invest heavily into our science and technology research institutions to make this initiative a reality.
We must not just create documents to that effect but implement these proposals.
This is our country and we must take the lead in ensuring its development.
It is none but ourselves who can do it.
It is time we adopt and use our own technologies in agriculture.