Agriculture in Zimbabwe: The Road to Success
As participants in all walks of
the Zimbabwean economy steel themselves for what inevitably will be a
challenging beginning to 2019, the enduring national smile, somehow, remains
visible. Given that these are not the first fuel queues we have endured, nor
the first price hikes we’ve begrudgingly swallowed, the general lack of
confidence that things are soon to get better is perhaps understandable. Although
we may shake our heads and wish for better, Zimbabwe still has a unique ability
to ‘make a plan’. Clearly some of these plans are being implemented, because –
against all odds – Zim trundles on, through what can only be described as a
gruelling economic period.
 |
| A photo of fuel queues in central Harare (photo courtesy of GPSA) |
It is an astonishing sort of
resilience that finds positives in our current situation, and one for which
millions of Zimbabweans deserve credit. Sun Tzu’s adage that “in the midst of chaos,
there is also opportunity” seems improbable as we look with despair at the
kilometres of hopefuls approaching every Puma, Zuva, and Engen in the land. But
there is art to how Zimbabwe is approaching this war against its past, and
encouragingly, its future seems to be winning. There is a palpable tension; an
excitement for what is to come. Zimbabwe is ready to emerge from this arduous
chapter, and to reinstate itself as a serious economy; a force with which to be
reckoned.
Confusion still surrounds the
practical changes that need to take place before this transformation can occur. Those of us involved with Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector know, on first
name terms, the frustration of the mismatch between Zim’s potential and its
current performance. Those in search of solace need to look no further than the
tobacco industry, whose regeneration is the lifejacket keeping Zimbabwean
agriculture afloat. From record lows of 48 million kilograms in 2008, tobacco
output is once again in competition with itself, trying its damnedest to break
its own annual output records. In 2014, the output was 217 million kilos. In
recent years, output has hovered quite stably near 200 million kilograms. Happily,
another figure instils confidence: for 2000’s output, 1,500 farmers were
responsible for 97% of the crop; but for 2013’s output, that number soared to
110,000 contributing farmers (depending on whom you ask; some people’s figures
are actually closer to 150,000).
 |
| Tobacco floor in Harare (photo courtesy of www.sundaymail.co.zw) |
But there is only so much
buoyancy, so much respite, that one industry within one sector can provide. The
contract model followed by the majority of the tobacco industry (I think 80%)
has been met with resistance by the old guard, but has unequivocally worked.
Marmite: love it or loathe it; it still sells. So, what to do? How do we
alleviate the burden currently assumed by tobacco sales and tapping Zimbabwe’s
mineral and gemmological wealth?
Whether the contract model is replicable
within horticulture and crop cultivation remains unclear. There seems to be
uncertainty as to whether horticulture and crop cultivation can bow down to
that venerable overlord of FOREX Generation.
Quite how this uncertainty can be justified also remains – to me at least – unclear.
In Zimbabwe’s most prosperous economic era, it went by a nickname that we are
all keen to reinstate: The Breadbasket of Africa. Contract farming facilitates
smaller players to farm in the same way as their more efficient and cashed-up big
brothers, whose operations run at a level of profitability that allows them to
invest in their own future. But they too once had limited resources, and in
simple terms, what contract farming really means is that farmers of all scales
have the same level of access to machinery and technology. Zimbabwe benefits
from a near-perfect agricultural set-up: its climate, its soil, and its bottomless
reserve of energy for remounting the pedestal of international trade render it
one step away from realising a great potential. That step is mechanisation.
 |
| A World combine harvester for small-scale farming use. Currently available from Kurima Machinery. |
It is at this point that I must
apologetically plug my company, for what is an opinion piece without some
shameless self-promotion? Kurima Machinery is at the forefront of empowering
the smallholder farmer through considered, intelligent mechanisation. Where
previous players in the small-scale farming world have focused on selling a
machine and washing their hands of their clients, Kurima recognises that its responsibility
does not lie solely with the importation and sale of complicated machinery. Two
fundamental elements of selling farming equipment have been overlooked too
frequently, namely: training; and servicing. The former is essential. Not only
must a buyer fully understand how to operate their machine (the full usefulness
of a machine can only be realised when it is used fluently and efficiently,
otherwise it can be actively counterproductive); but a buyer must be helped to
understand the benefit of the upgrade they are undertaking. Explaining – in
simple, clear terms – how an initial capital outlay can generate increased
returns will make sure the new technology is fully adopted; that the investment
benefits the investor; and, in time, that the agricultural sector is able to
perform to its full potential.
Encouragingly, Kurima is not
alone in its desire to change the way the small-scale farmer is treated. From
the dark days of lending, with unrealistic repayment terms, unreasonable interest rates and
punitive default charges, some pioneering financial institutions have seen the light.
Success Microfinance, to name but one, certainly seems to have understood that
the income of their typical client is limited and sporadic; that their spending
patterns follow their earnings, almost to the hour; and that taking 10 hectares
of land in a remote rural area as collateral benefits absolutely nobody. Without
giving away too much of Success’ secret to…well…success, take it from me and
some of the clients who have benefitted from their services that their terms
are realistic; their interest rates are favourable (excellent, in fact); and
that their ambition is not to repossess all smallholder land in the country,
one collateral hectare at a time. They, too, have the future in mind.
I, for one, have faith in Zimbabwe’s ability to regenerate.
As long as the same slap-dash, quick-fix approach that is applied to road
repair in Harare is not applied to rejuvenating agriculture in this country, I
see only good things on the horizon for farmers. The potholes created in the road to success by
ineffectual farming cannot simply be filled in; we must repave the entire road.
And for that, we’re going to need a few machines.
--> Ferdinand M C Reynolds Commercial Director: Kurima Machinery and Technology
+263779104809
www.kurimamachinery.com
About the author:
Ferdinand Reynolds has recently moved to Zimbabwe from the U.K. to join the team at Kurima Machinery. He is a recent graduate from Balliol College at Oxford University, where he read for a degree in Spanish and Italian. He is enjoying Zimbabwe a great deal, and would welcome any questions or comments!
