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Elton Manguwo

THE Second Republic’s mantra of not leaving anyone or place behind continues to gain traction with Government set to introduce clusters that will enable Zimbabweans in the diaspora to invest in agriculture and contribute in developing the country’s agro-based economy.

Director of lands in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Mr Cephas Magauze yesterday said the Government has tabled a programme where huge tracts of land would be availed for diasporans with applicants being made shareholders of one entity instead of availing land for individuals.

“The programme has been given the go-ahead and is yet to come into operation as the Ministry is working towards facilitating access to land for the diasporans to do farming,” said Mr Magauze.

This development comes on the backdrop of growing calls by the diaspora community for the Government to consider them for land allocation. The Ministry of Lands is also aiming to use the initiative to promote partnerships that guarantee productivity.

Mr Magauze highlighted that it was becoming difficult for the Government to satisfy the demand for land with over 260 000 applicants on the waiting list.

“We will also forward their applications to provinces so that they can be considered in the allocation of land,” he said.

The programme’s farmland will be run by Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) on behalf of those who would have bought shares.

“This initiative is part of the department’s strategy to grow investments in the sector originating from the diaspora community,” said Magauze.

The various programmes and projects being undertaken by the Government seek to promote production and productivity, build resilience to climate shocks and transform agricultural activities into successful businesses.

“We are happy with the positive appetite by the diaspora community towards supporting primary production in an effort to bridge the gap towards maximum production and the import substitution thrust,” said Mr Magauze.

The Government has been rolling out various outcome based interventions to directly impact the growth of the agriculture sector as causes, accelerators and multipliers.

Mr Magauze added: “This programme is a welcome initiative that will accelerate the attainment of an upper-middle income economy through increased production.”

Additionally, the developments come at a time the Government is working to increase productivity through maximum land utilisation through various frameworks.

One of the key aspects in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) is to enable the participation of everyone in the primary production process.

The thrust of the initiatives is to compliment the development that will be fostered in the communities through the Government’s devolution agenda that promotes the strategic utilisation of resources, land included.

The Government is also using joint venture arrangements and contract farming as viable frameworks towards achieving maximum land utilisation and optimisation with over 200 000 hectares of land are under 2 000 joint venture arrangements.