Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, has in his 2019 Mid-Term Review set aside $1,67 billion towards the support of strategic crops of grain, soya beans and cotton as he protects a sharp decline in the Agriculture sector.
His remarks come when the country is already facing severe starvation due to the El-Nino induced drought and Tropical Cyclone Idai which destroyed crops which were weeks away from harvest.
Presenting the 2019 Mid-Term Review, Ncube said:
Agriculture growth is expected to contract by 15,8 percent in view of unfavourable 2018/19 weather conditions, exacerbated by the occurrence of Cyclone Idai, which destroyed crops, livestock, agricultural and other critical infrastructure in some parts of the country.
The country’s agriculture sector has been underperforming since the turn of the millennium when the country embarked on an ambitious fast-track land reform programme.
More: The Herald