'Land reform is Zimbabwe's biggest achievement,' says Mnangagwa

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa says land reform is the biggest achievement that Zimbabwe has achieved since the attainment of political independence in 1980.

In a wide ranging interview as the country prepares to celebrate independence next Tuesday, the Vice President said land which was forcibly taken away from the ancestors, constituted the main grievance of the war of liberation and is one of the major successes after the country got political independence.

Mnangagwa said following the reunification of the people with their land, what is left now is to make it productive and promote economic growth hence the introduction of command agriculture where Zimbabwe is targeting to produce two million tonnes of the staple food, maize.

Of the two million tonnes, 1.5 million tonnes is for consumption while the other half a million tonnes will go for strategic grain reserves annually.

Vice President Mnangagwa hailed the increased production that has transformed the tobacco sector which was the preserve of just a few white former commercial farmers but has seen the majority also venturing into the sector with production well over the 200 million kilogrammes that used to be produced before independence.

He said government has also intervened in the cotton production sector where it is targeting to produce five times more than last year due to the support that has been rendered small scale and communal farmers in the regions that grow the crop.

Mnangagwa said government will now work at ensuring that the over 400 000 hectares of land mobilised for command agriculture is supported by irrigation to ensure productivity even in times of drought.

Turning to education, he said the country has done well in eradicating illiteracy hence the top position Zimbabwe occupies on the continent's rankings.

He said the health sector suffered setbacks mainly due to the illegal sanctions imposed on the country due to the internationalisation of the land question by the British.

In his recollections and reflections, Mnangagwa said the journey to Zimbabwe's freedom was long and difficult but the attainment of political independence made the suffering worthwhile.