2020 CONCORDIA ANNUAL SUMMIT

Remarks from Minister Sibusiso Moyo

Main Stage

• A significant percentage of the Zimbabwean population remains food insecure. Sibusiso Moyo attributed the country’s widespread food insecurity to a combination of political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, including political turbulence, land reform, repeated cycles of El Niño, and other climate change-related disasters. The recent imposition of sanctions against Zimbabwean development banks and state-owned enterprises have undermined government efforts to address food insecurity. 
• The Zimbabwean government has implemented a series of programs that support various categories of farmers. Mechanized farmers now have access to a suite of affordable financial products provided by state banks. Thanks to a recently-launched government program called New Season, millions of small-scale and rural farmers are now able to access agricultural inputs and extension support. 
• U.S. and Eastern European entities have sent significant quantities of agricultural equipment, including tractors and plows, to Zimbabwe. Moyo asserted that this equipment will help increase commercial agricultural production, create employment opportunities across all sectors, and, by way of value-added exports, boost foreign exchange.

“Our emphasis now is on optimization of land usage by both small-scale and large-scale commercial farmers across all agro-ecological zones, with a view of maximizing production, ensuring sustainable household and national food security, and providing raw material for value addition by our agro-processing related industries,” Sibusiyo Moyo