Published: 04 August 2017

Cabinet on Tuesday agreed that vocational training centres establish agricultural demonstration plots to help youths benefit from farming, Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Patrick Zhuwao has said.

Speaking during the British American Tobacco Zimbabwe, Tobacco Empowerment Trust (BATZ-TET) launch of short courses at Mashayamombe Vocational Training Centre in Ngezi, Mashonaland West yesterday, Minister Zhuwao said Government would facilitate training programmes for youths in farming to fully utilise its support programmes.

"It was agreed upon in Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) that as a ministry we are supposed to go to all our vocational training centres and create demonstration plots," he said.

"Also in wards and villages that are far away from vocational training centres, we should talk to the local authorities to avail land for us to teach youths."

There are 43 vocational training centres in Zimbabwe under the administration of the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment.

Minister Zhuwao said Government would use tracts of land at vocational training institutions to implement the youth agricultural programmes.

"The President on Saturday said all those youths who were struck off the payroll should be reinstated with immediate effect . . . (but) as a ministry we are aware that Minister Chinamasa is having problems in securing funds to pay all Government workers," he said.

"As a ministry we are going to all our training centres to open up fields and work together with the National Youth Service, ask for assistance from our youths in clearing the fields and venture into programmes such as Command Farming, so that people are taught at our vocational training centres to farm properly."

Minister Zhuwao said President Mugabe was providing seed, cotton, maize and going further to include soya beans on the Presidential Inputs Scheme.

"People are supposed to be taught how to properly utilise these seeds," he said.

"So, our vocational training centres should work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Agritex to teach all the people who are going to benefit from the Presidential Inputs on how to properly plant the soya bean crop since it is a new crop."

Speaking during the same occasion, BAT Tobacco Empowerment Trust project manager, Mr Vimbai Makumbe, urged tobacco farmers to start using the rocket barn that did not use electricity.

The rocket tobacco barn, which was established through the assistance of the Tobacco Research Board, can be utilised in rural areas.

BAT Tobacco Empowerment Trust owns 10,76 percent equity in BAT Zimbabwe and its mandate is to provide both technical and financial assistance to indigenous tobacco farmers.
- online