State Media
President Mnangagwa is tomorrow expected to launch a farm mechanisation facility from Belarus worth US$58 million at the Agricultural Engineering department in Harare.
This comes after Government launched another similar facility from a US company, John Deere in June this year to the tune of US$50 million that is also meant to boost agricultural production among new farmers.
In a statement, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Ministry, said the meeting is expected to start at 8 am and will be attended by high-ranking Belarusian delegation headed by officials from the Minister of Industry, chairman of the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus, president and CEO of the Trade and Development Bank (TDB Group, former PTA Bank), the COMESA Trade and Development Bank (Eastern and Southern Africa).
The deal is as a result of tight cooperation between Belarus and Zimbabwe. In 2018 both Zimbabwean and Belarussian governments officials agreed for the later to supply Zimbabwe with machinery and equipment for agriculture and timber industry.
The total amount of machinery and equipment to be supplied in the framework of the project is more than 800 units.
These include among others: 60 self-propelled grain harvesters, 210 precision seed drills, 474 tractors of different power capacities, fifth wheel trucks with semitrailers for transportation of heavy equipment and four dump trucks.
Also in the list of the equipment are; fifth wheel trucks with semitrailers for transportation of heavy equipment, six semitrailers with hydraulic manipulator for transportation of construction machinery, 10 drop side trucks, firefighting equipment critical in forest business, cities and other communities and emergency rescue operations.
The equipment also includes; 30 motor cycles and complete set of spare parts for every type of machinery and equipment delivered.
The implementation of the project includes the organisation of all-inclusive service center in Harare for providing service and warranty support for the machinery and equipment.
“It is equipped with necessary working area and premises, tools, repair-garage and diagnostic equipment as well as mobile service vehicles for turn-out of repair team to the regions. Local specialists will be engaged for work at the service station.
“Special attention is given to organising training classes for Zimbabweans (for each farmer) on the basis of the service center that is covered by the project. Moreover, training in Belarus will be organised for Zimbabwean technical specialists duration of at least two months. The training includes practical classes in every manufacturing plant,” said the ministry.
“The implementation of the project also involves all-in approach that includes not only full responsibility regarding warranty and service support, provision of spare parts, training of local specialists, but also providing advanced technologies, comprehensive decisions and solutions in agriculture for every agricultural period from cultivation, seeding, irrigation, planting to crop harvesting.”