From the Editor
To our valued readers,
Now that the dust has settled and the excitement of the Agricultural Dealers and Manufacturers Association (ADMA) Show fades to a memory, it’s back to the day to day business of growing, reaping and selling. From the start, the optimism and the buzz in the air at this show was palpable. There was a real sense of everyone, be it buyer or seller, wanting to be part of a regenerated agricultural industry.
We have to give credit where due. Some of us sometimes tend to think of our country as a sleepy place where nothing exciting happens. This perception is far from the truth. There is so much collective knowledge, 21st century machinery and technology locally available, at our fingertips. The ADMA Agrishow demonstrated that. There is a willingness and drive, on the part of our industry players to share their wealth of experience and professionalism with anyone wanting to go into, or expand and develop their commercial farming. Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, but working together is success. Inside this issue, we look at how some local businesses are positioning themselves to meet increased demand for their services from an agricultural economy on the rebound. However, there are issues still affecting sectors of the industry which need to be addressed, such as forex for inputs, land tenure, and the availability of affordable finance. The recent annual general meetings for the dairy and tobacco farming associations highlighted these concerns.
The tobacco selling season recently wrapped up. The volume of tobacco sold this year far exceeded expectations. A massive 243 million kg worth over $700 million were sold. This was an increase of 34% from last year’s sales. The ripple effects from that can only be positive.
The National Bull Sale held its 50th annual sale too. Beef cattle prices are on the up. The top selling bull, a Brahman, fetched $24 000. Buyers were eager to snap up top notch breeding livestock genetics. Again, there was an air of buoyant optimism and it is apparent that there is a steady stream of investment currently being sunk into this vital part of our agricultural sector. Rebuilding our national herd has never been more important.
We are blessed with a perfect climate for agriculture and though we have come through what may seem to us a brutal winter, our little corner of the globe is home to some of the fi nest farming climate in the world. The very nature of farming is an act of faith. We plant a seed in the hopes that it will grow. But, getting it to thrive, is where good agricultural practice comes in. And that’s where we, as Zimbabweans, can proudly hold our heads high and say, yes, we are capable of doing this and, we can continue to do this. I came along the following saying recently and think it applies to us all living here: “The dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately”.
Julie
