Staff Writer
Murewa- A commercial fruit farmer at Woodford Farm in Ward 13, under Chief Chikwaka, has shoved 200 fruit trees into the chief’s hands to kickstart the Zunde ramambo (chief’s granary) programme while flooding hundreds more trees and plants into schools and agricultural extension officers across Mashonaland East.
This is a full-throttle push to shove fruit production into the mainstream.
Charles Songore, who with his wife Dorothy battles it out on 179 hectares and only jumped into commercial fruit farming in 2021, told this publication that these handouts are just the start of a bruising mission to force students, teachers and local communities to wake up to the cas crammed potential of fruit farming.
“We donated 200 fruit trees to launch zunde ramambo in Goromonzi district. Twenty snake chaser plants to all boarding schools in Mashonaland East. Fifty fruit trees to Goromonzi Agritex for demos in eight wards,” said Songore.
He didn’t stop there, unloading more on Mtoko Central School:
“Ten pawpaw trees to Mtoko Central school to start a demo plot for students as well as to quick start a project to raise cash for the school. Also gave them 20 croton shade trees for the school.
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The farmer then laid out a commission based partnership model a blunt profit-sharing weapon to squeeze sustainable income out of schools.
“We are to set up a banana kiosk for them to sell our banana fruits on commission. Also to quick start a small nursery to sell our seedlings on commission to raise funds for the school.”
And the goods keep coming,v Songore unveiled an aggressive educational outreach plan:
“One of our goals is to mobilise schools to tour our farm so that teachers and students are exposed to the concept of fruit farming.”
Then he threw the doors wide open to partners, learners and the media:
“You are free to ask anything. We are more than ready to partner with any interested parties with the objectives of educating the masses on fruit farming strategies. We cannot allow the country to continue importing fruits, losing forex much needed for economic development. Fruit farming has less risks, it needs less water, less labour, less chemicals, less harvest losses, less transport costs, fewer middlemen and the demand for fruits is extensive. Farming fruits is a major wealth creation and a national economic builder. Soil conservation is a key benefit. Nyika inovakwa nesu, as Dr Ed Munangagwa says.”
Chief Chikwaka who bagged the biggest single stash has hailed the move as a savage blueprint for community led agricultural revival. Agricultural extension officers in Goromonzi are already digging up demonstration sites across eight wards using the 50 donated trees. Boarding schools across Mashonaland East are next in line for their snake chaser plants.
As Zimbabwe claws its way toward agricultural diversification under the Second Republic’s horticulture drive, the Songores’ campaign stands out as a private sector battering ram linking commercial farming to grassroots food security, education and youth empowerment.
