Online ReporterWallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE recently benefitted from a US$1,4 million fertiliser grant from the government of Japan, in a major boost to the country’s summer cropping season aspirations of increasing production by 347 percent.
The fertiliser is assigned to the stocks being distributed under the Presidential Input Scheme and that used in the winter-cropping season that has produced yet another bumper harvest for the country.
Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Japan, Mr Stewart Nyakotyo, yesterday told The Herald that the cordial relations between the two countries had spurred Zimbabwe’s agricultural efforts.
“The then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Frederick Shava, was in Japan in August and met the Japanese Foreign Minister then, Honourable Kamikawa, and they had very good discussions.
“And Japan indicated that it was extending assistance to Zimbabwe through fertilisers. They have given a grant for fertiliser of about US$1,4 million,” he said.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri yesterday confirmed that Government had taken into stock the fertiliser consignment.
“We received that fertiliser a while back and it is part of the input distribution currently underway. It actually came before winter and yes we used it during the winter cropping season as well,” he said.
Input distribution has since started with farmers already having started planting. Ambassador Nyakotyo said Japan was also supporting small-scale farmers and other agricultural projects in the country, including one on irrigation, set up in Manicaland.
High-level visits to Japan, he said, had gone a long way in spurring co-operation.
“During the funeral of the former Japanese Prime Minister, we also had political consultations between Zimbabwe and Japan in February of last year and then the First Lady also visited Japan in November 2022 and out of that visit, Japan then offered to assist Zimbabwe to start rice production.
“So there is a project on rice production, which is being undertaken by JICA, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency, in Zimbabwe and this project was at an inception phase and we are now moving to scaling up of the rice production through the Japanese assistance,” Ambassador Nyakotyo said.
Japan, said the Ambassador, was also involved in road construction projects in the country.
“So besides that, we also have the road, Marongora to Mana pools turn off. The expansion of that road is being funded by Japan.
“And we are now in phase two, we expect the agreement to be signed soon for actual construction works to begin. So that is a very concrete co-operation,” he said.
On the energy front, Ambassador Nyakotyo said Japan was looking to upgrade substations in Zimbabwe.
“And we also have possibilities for co-operation in the energy sector because Zimbabwe is key in that we are at the centre of the SADC power pool.
“Japan has offered to assist Zimbabwe to upgrade its substations in order to make them more reliable and to be able to distribute the power within the region. So that is another concrete co-operation project. And there are several Japanese companies which are operating either through other third-party companies in Zimbabwe, but we have said to Japan, including to the Japanese Ambassador, let us work together to bring more Japanese companies here to Zimbabwe,” he said.
