Belarusian equipment manufacturers find foothold in Zim

Belarusian equipment manufacturers find foothold in Zim

 

Hosia Mviringi

 

Belarusian heavy equipment manufacturers have responded to the continued strengthening of relations with Harare by firmly establishing themselves locally as serious partners in the nation’s quest for modernisation and industrialisation.

 

The recently concluded maiden visit to Zimbabwe and sub-Saharan Africa by Belarusian leader President Aleksandr Lukashenko has resulted in many firms confirming their long-term presence on the Zimbabwean market by establishing partnerships with local distributors and service providers.

 

Responding to Zimbabwe’s “open for business” mantra, Belarusian companies such as Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ Trademark) moved quickly to conclude a contract with a Zimbabwean entity that will oversee the distribution and service of its agricultural equipment locally.

 

Speaking on the signing of a contract at the recently held Belarus-Zimbabwe Business Forum in Harare, MTZ Director General Vitaly Vovsk stresses the need to establish strategic partnerships that enable systematic business collaboration.

 

“The Zimbabwean market opened for Belarus machinery several years ago thanks to our reliable partner, AFTRADE DMCC. We are glad we are talking about strategic partnerships that envisage work on a systematic perspective basis,” said Vovk.

 

The contract document signed between the two companies envisages that the company supplies 3,575 tractors to Zimbabwe, with future deliveries depending on the results of negotiations with Zimbabwean Agricultural enterprises.

 

Between 2018 and 2022, the Belarusian tractor manufacturer delivered 800 tractors to Zimbabwe, a feat which he acknowledged was partly responsible for the bumper grain harvest in the 2021-22 farming season.

 

“We know last year, for the first time in the past 50 years, the country fully provided itself with grain. It is gratifying that the country also succeeded thanks to Belarus Machinery,” stresses Vovk.

 

Zimbabwe became self-sufficient in soft wheat for the first time last year after a record harvest of a massive 375000 metric tonnes against the annual national demand of 350000 metric tonnes. This record harvest effectively saves the country up to US$300 million in wheat imports.

 

Historically, the country had only managed an average of 66000 metric tonnes of wheat annually, leaving a yawning supply gap that opened up the country to massive foreign currency hemorrhage annually in wheat imports.

 

Belarus stands out as one of the very few countries which defied US and EU sanctions and stood ready to support Zimbabwe’s land reform program through the supply of necessary equipment and expertise for maximum capacity utilisation. Shortage of tillage and irrigation equipment, in addition to water harvesting technology, stands out as the missing link to total productivity on Zimbabwean farms, on its own, a significant hindrance to food self-sufficiency, a key NDS1 deliverable.

 

Minsk tractor plant is one of the largest agricultural machinery manufacturers in the whole world, and Zimbabwe, with its strategic location in Africa, is strategically positioned to act as the export hub for the sub-Saharan region.

 

More than 100 tractor models in more than 200 assembly variants are available for distribution to different climatic conditions across all regions of the world.