MOZAMBICAN President Filipe Nyusi is expected in the country on Tuesday to officially open the 114th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show (ZAS).
This year’s event — which will be running from tomorrow until Saturday at the Exhibition Park in Harare under the theme “Cultivating Prosperity: Growing Business, Innovating for Change, Nurturing Our Future” — is expected to attract over 200 000 visitors.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade acting chief director for protocol and conference services Livit Mugejo said: “The Zimbabwe Agricultural Show will be officially opened by His Excellency, President Filipe Nyusi, of Mozambique.
“President Nyusi is expected in the country to officially open the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show on August 27, 2024.
“It is not a State visit, but a working visit. He is coming solely for the official opening of the 114th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.”
President Nyusi’s visit, Mugejo said, underscores the longstanding relationship between Harare and Maputo, rooted in historical, cultural and economic ties.
He also said the invitation of a foreign Head of State to open the agricultural show is aimed at strengthening trade relations between the two countries.
“Bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Mozambique have strengthened based on the mutual strategic partnership between the two countries,” he added.
“The reason we invite a foreign Head of State to open our agricultural show is to improve trade relations with that country.
“In this case, Mozambique is not only our neighbour but a very important trading partner of Zimbabwe.
“Mozambique provides a trading route for us to the sea. Hence, the ZAS platform provides the two countries with an opportunity to increase their bilateral and business relations.”
In a separate interview with The Sunday Mail, ZAS chief executive officer Dr Andrew Matibiri said over 500 exhibitors had taken up over 70 000 square metres of space at the Exhibition Park as of Friday, up from 53 300 square metres occupied by 410 exhibitors last year.
Twelve international exhibitors from countries such as Russia, India, South Africa, Zambia, Pakistan, Eswatini, Japan, Mozambique, China, Malawi and Tanzania have confirmed their participation, up from five last year.
“The increase in the number of exhibitors is due to perceived benefits of exhibitions of goods and services.
“In addition, ZAS then creates more space to accommodate the exhibitors,” said Dr Matibiri.
He said preparations for the event were in full swing, with exhibitors setting up their stands.
“The 114th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show will be held from Monday August 26, 2024 to Saturday August 31, 2024.”
Dr Matibiri said, with the recent regional cholera outbreak now under control, the show will proceed with a full programme of business conferences and entertainment events open to all attendees.
This year’s show will feature several competitions, including the agri-produce section, with entries drawn from provincial show winners in tobacco, cotton and livestock.
“The tobacco section will feature displays of produce from winners from the provinces and for this year, the emphasis is in promoting production of quality tobacco in Zimbabwe.
“There were 104 entries this year and final verification is underway,” Dr Matibiri said.
“The agri-produce draws its entrants from winners of provincial shows, 10 from each province.
“Under the cotton section, entries were drawn from the eight cotton-growing provinces, selecting only top two farmers per province battling for a top spot.
“The emphasis for this is on focused agriculture, productivity and yield levels.
“The cotton section introduced a new category last year, which is the Young Cotton Farmer of the Year.
“The livestock section will feature displays from the provincial winners and special emphasis is on promoting climate-resilient breeds, as well as increasing the national herd size.
“There will also be exhibitions of pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits and poultry.”
On Wednesday, ZAS and the National Economic Consultative Forum will host the 12th Annual National Agribusiness Conference, focusing on “Cultivating Prosperity: Seeding Solutions for Livestock Sustainability”.
On Thursday, ZAS and Mejrkh will host the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Conference at the Rainbow Towers.
The same day will also feature the Research for Agricultural Excellence Indaba and Diplomatic Network Business conferences at the time Zimbabwe Agricultural Society Business Hub.
The Sunday Mail
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