Zimbabwe Agricultural Show | President Ramaphosa calls for increased SA-Zim economic ties

Strengthening SA-Zimbabwe Economic Ties

• 🇿🇦 President Ramaphosa attended the 115th Zimbabwe Agricultural Show as the guest of honor, emphasizing the need for stronger economic links.
• 🤝 He urged increased collaboration and investments from both South African and Zimbabwean private sectors to boost bilateral trade.
• 💰 Ramaphosa specifically called for investment in seeds, irrigation schemes, and agro-processing to enhance regional food security and resilience.

Shared Agricultural Transformation

• 📜 President Ramaphosa highlighted the similarities in agricultural journeys between South Africa and Zimbabwe, particularly concerning colonial-era land ownership.
• 🌍 Post-independence, Zimbabwe undertook ambitious reforms to dismantle patterns where commercially productive land was largely white-owned, excluding the black majority from commercial farming.
• 🌱 These reforms were essential for historical redress, food security, and economic growth, supporting the entry of black Zimbabweans into productive agriculture, including small-scale farmers.

Regional Agricultural Priorities

• 🌡️ Agricultural transformation was a key topic at the recent SADC summit in Madagascar, stressing the need for adapting to and mitigating climate change effects.
• 🦠 Enhanced biosecurity cooperation is vital for southern African neighbors to combat outbreaks like foot and mouth disease, avian flu, and crop infections.
• 🔬 This cooperation requires pooling resources and strengthening collaboration, including through research institutions, and embracing technological trends to increase output and conserve resources.

Zimbabwe's Model for Growth

• 💡 Ramaphosa suggested that South Africa and the broader region should learn from Zimbabwe's agricultural model.
• 📈 This model has demonstrated an increase in investment in small and medium farming entities.
• 👩‍🌾 Notably, this growth has been significant in entities owned and run by women and young people.