Mandalay Farm hosts Horticultural Field Day.

Mandalay Farm hosts Horticultural Field Day.

 

Nevanji Munyaradzi Chiondegwa

 

 

In a positive response to Government’s call to prioritise increased production and productivity, a farmer in Goromonzi who specializes in one of the most lucrative agricultural activities, horticulture, recently hosted a field day at his farm to showcase his produce.

 

 

Mr Simon Philips, who grows an assortment of horticultural crops at his Mandalay Farm in Goromonzi showcased a thriving enterprise that comprises of a variety of export focused crops such as blue berries, cherry pepper and granadillas.

 

 

Mandalay Farm, situated in Ward 24 of Goromonzi has a thriving 15 hectares of blue berries, six hectares of granadilla and six hectares of cherry peppers which are exported to Europe, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 

 

The hosting of the horticultural field day is in line with Government’s Horticulture Growth and Recovery Plan (HGRP) to boost horticultural production and enhance food security and incomes. It is also in line with the country’s push to achieve an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

 

 

HGRP is a programme that seeks to stimulate both commercial and rural horticultural production to accelerate both domestic and export output and profitability and contribute significantly to food security and nutrition, import substitution, foreign currency generation, employment creation, diversification of rural economies and generating household incomes in pursuit of Vision 2030.

 

 

In a speech read on his behalf by Mrs Rutendo Nhongonhema who is Agritex Chief Agronomist, Minister of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development Dr Anxious Masuka challenged farmers to take up horticulture which has more returns than other field crops. He also advised horticultural farmers to strive to meet the targets set under the National Development Strategy 1 as well as the HGRP.

 

 

Goromonzi district currently has five farmers who are growing blue berries, mainly for export, contributing to the much needed foreign currency earnings.

 

 

Apart from the above named crops, Mr Philips, has been growing peas and granadillas in the district since 2010 before diversifying into blue berries and cherry peppers.

 

 

Horticulture contributes about 6.5% to the agricultural GDP with production of horticultural crops mainly conducted close to major urban centres, and along roads connected to urban settlements both at large and small scale. This is mainly for easy access to markets due to the perishable nature of the crops.