…as they move to fulfill his vision in capacitating sugarcane farmers
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI-Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) trading as Royal Farmers Trust recently remembered the late police Assistant Commissioner Edmore Gochai Veterai the former chairperson of ZSDA, by implementing his vision to develop sugarcane farmers into business entrepreneurs.
ZSDA is currently celebrating winning their dispute over property and name use with a splinter organization also named Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association, recently held its first Annual General Meeting without their founding chairperson, Veterai at Duma City, where they remembered his vision towards empowerment of farmers to become business entrepreneurs and pledged to carry the vision forward.
Speaking during the AGM at Duma City, Peter Haruzivishe who is the chairperson of the association said farmers should take heed of Veterai’s vision to empower sugarcane farmers which they are currently pushing for.
“We should take a minute to remember our late founding chairperson, comrade Veterai due to his contribution to the sugarcane industry. He is the one who took us this far in sugarcane production. He had farmers at heart and had a hands-on approach to all his operations.
“Veterai was called to lead the second sugarcane farmer association, ZSDA, after we parted ways with the Commercial Farmers Association of Zimbabwe (CSFAZ),” said Haruzivishe.
He said ZSDA increased their production yield of canes per hectare by 41percent from the 2020 season where they produced a collective of 36 520 tons of sugarcane vis-à-vis 51 520 in 2021.
“Our Association, which currently has 48 farmers is doing better in terms of production as our cane tons increased by 41% from 2020 yields where we had a collective yield of 36 520 to 51 520 in 2021.
“Our ERC stood at 9 555 tones in 2020 against 2021’s 11 143 which is a 17% increase. This year, I am going to inspect production progress from our farmers’ fields and as the executive, we are encouraging every farmer to have his/her soil samples examined at ZSAES which will help us to do better in our production,” added Haruzivishe.
Dr Audrey Mabveni, who heads ZSAES also encouraged farmers to take educational courses in order to equip themselves with vast knowledge to operate as business people not just as substantive farmers.
“We need your spouses, children to take sugarcane production courses in order for them to take over your farms during retirement or in worst case scenarios as death. Most farms are being deserted after the farmer passes away, we do not like such scenarios,’ said Dr Mabveni.
21 farmers from ZSDA Royal Farmers Trust graduated with certificates in sugarcane production while six had diplomas and five are about to attain their Honours Degrees with Great Zimbabwe University.
ZSDA splinted from the Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association after disputes of election fraud in 2019, where Elisha Tamirepi was elected the chairperson at Pore Pore in Mkwasine, which did not go well with a faction that was led by the late Veterai.
The two sister associations sought the cleaners to settle their dispute, where the High Court last year barred the Tamirepi-led association to cease using the name as well as the assets including cattle, tractors, a truck and trailer.
