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Dr. Andrew Matibiri, the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS), has revived optimism for the success of the 114th edition of the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show to be held from 26 to 31 August 2024 in Harare.
Under his leadership, the show has continued to grow and evolve, showcasing the latest developments and innovations in the agricultural sector. As CEO, Dr. Matibiri oversees the planning and execution of the show, ensuring that it meets its objectives of promoting agricultural development, trade, and investment in Zimbabwe. He also engages with various stakeholders, including farmers, exhibitors, sponsors, and government officials, to ensure the show’s success.
Dr. Matibiri has been instrumental in introducing new features and attractions to the show, such as the Mining-Agri Village, which highlights the linkages between mining and agriculture. He has also worked to increase international participation and investment in the show.
Through his leadership, Dr. Matibiri aims to make the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show a premier event in the region, showcasing the country’s agricultural potential and contributing to its economic growth and development
The show will be held under the theme “Cultivating Prosperity: Growing Business. Innovating for Change. Nurturing our Future” and will take place at the Exhibition Park in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Below, we share an interview between Spiked Online Media and the CEO of the Zimbabwe Agriculture Show ahead of the week-long exhibition:
What are the key highlights and expectations for this year’s show?
Okay, you asked about the key highlights and expectations from this year’s agricultural show. The key expectation is our key event is the annual National Agricultural Conference, or ANAC, as we call it. This year it will be focused on livestock.
How has the show evolved over the years, and what new features can visitors expect?
Over the years, the agricultural show, or the ANAC has been focusing on crops, whereas this year we’re now focusing on livestock. There will be a diplomatic interface or conference as well.
So there will be key presenters, key national presenters, and key speakers talking about livestock issues, and there will also be other conferences. There will be a mining and agricultural interface conference. And there will be new displays. We’ve got an array, a selection of international exhibitions coming, and they’ll be displaying new equipment and new techniques and perhaps even products for the benefit of our agriculture.
Over the years, the show has evolved. Obviously, in the old days, the show was about the society that would just be sitting here in Harare waiting for farmers to bring their produce, whatever it was, to showcase to their counterparts or other farmers from other areas, and then they would go away. Whereas now the show has changed, the society is now moving into the farming areas to assist farmers in terms of production, in terms of excelling in quality, and also to assist them in preparing their displays and entering show competitions.
What measures have been put in place to ensure the show’s success amidst economic challenges?
The measures that have been put in place to ensure that the show is a success amidst the economic challenges that the country is facing include issues like the entrance fees have not been changed or increased. They remain the same.
Our exhibitors’ fees remain the same and also unchanged. And as a result of that, we are seeing more and more exhibitors fighting for space to come to the show. We’ve seen the number of people coming to the show increasing this year, perhaps we’re looking at upwards of a quarter of a million visiting the showgrounds.
How does the show align with the government’s agricultural policies and initiatives?
As the show, we are not a part of government, but we are very much aligned with our government policies and initiatives. And whatever we do, we do it for the country. We want to ensure that the country and the farmers produce to the best of their abilities and produce the best qualities possible.
As a show, our primary aim is to allow farmers to or give them access or a system to display their produce to the best advantage, and also to allow the general population to come in and appreciate what the farmers would have done.
What opportunities will the show provide for farmers, exhibitors, and stakeholders?
Last year was a very, very difficult year for farmers, whether they be crop farmers or livestock farmers. And you will see that the displays that will be at the show will be as good as any in any year, despite the challenges that they face.
The opportunities that we provide for farmers, exhibitors, and stakeholders alike include interaction. Farmers from different parts of the country come to Harare and interact and see new products, and new ways of doing things, and perhaps learn something to take back to their areas for application.
And in that, the society houses or takes care of more than ten farmers per province. I know we have about 300 farmers whom we allow to travel to the show. We look after them at a house at one of the neighboring boarding schools for the duration of the show. And during that week, we have training by companies and institutions.
We train them and show them the products they might have which can improve their production. We also, of course, apart from that, allow farmers to enter competitions in agricultural produce, whether they produce even vegetables, and so on, all the way up to livestock to showcase their products.
And they win prizes, which they can take back. We also allow those winners to share their achievements with others.
How will the show address pressing issues like climate change, sustainability, and agricultural innovation?
Yeah, they are pressing issues such as climate change, sustainability, and agricultural innovation. Climate change is, as I said earlier, very much in evidence, based on what we saw last season – the shortage of rain, the severe shortage of rain or rainfall, the shortage of water, and livestock dying from lack of water.
So we hope farmers will take the opportunity to come and learn how they can mitigate against climate change, how they can make their farming operations more sustainable, and so forth.
