ADMA pledges continuing commitment to farmers
Years of foreign currency deficits coupled with the lack of finance for capital investment have led to a countrywide shortage of tillage and harvesting equipment in the hands of the farmer.
Speaking at the official opening of the recently-concluded ADMA Agrishow held at ART Farm, Pomona, Harare, ADMA Chairman, Marco Garizio urged the government to exercise caution with regards to their distribution programme in their endeavours to address this situation.
“The mechanisation companies (ADMA members) that currently distribute our traditional tractor brands, survive on 1,000 tractor sales per year. Any disruption to this market will result in company closures and numerous job losses.”
“Our farmers depend on mechanisation suppliers to identify and make available innovative solutions. Irrigation and best farming practices have to be implemented in order for our farmers to remain viable. Adma is a nonprofit organisation and as such the Agrishow is on a cost recovery basis and our executive committee, our volunteers and receive no remuneration at all. This constitutes our personal contributions to the agricultural industry,” he said.
Afterwards, Hon. Vangelis Haritatos, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, accompanied by his wife Amanda, officially opened the Agrishow on the last day of the three-day event.
“I have no doubt that this candid event is an eventuality of the relentless efforts by ADMA members and the equipment exhibited here, if fully utilised, will undoubtedly optimise our national levels of farm mechanisation.”
He continued: “The entire value chain for agricultural engineering and mechanisation, which includes production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, storage, processing, packaging as well as transportation is very complex that the participation of ADMA through alliances with various stakeholders is inevitable. It is in that space that ADMA must proactively occupy in diverse manners such as financing, manufacturing, importation, distribution, repair and maintenance, supply of spare parts, utilisation and management of agricultural tools, implements, equipment and machines in agricultural production – for land development, crop and livestock production, harvesting and storage, in addition to farm processing and rural transportation.”
“Access to viable financial models for optimisation of farm mechanisation cannot be over-emphasised, given the huge capital outlay required for mechanisation. The entire agricultural value chains still await the participation of ADMA members. It is the wish of the government that ADMA must be amongst the best it can be, so that it fills the available niche market, especially the huge untapped market for smallholder mechanisation,” according to the deputy minister.
There were nearly 300 stands and exhibitions at this year’s Agrishow event. The event was also the venue for the first-ever combined Sanga cattle breeds auction, held earlier on the last day of the show.