Negotiations on the second phase of the importation of Chinese tractors and combine harvesters are expected to start soon, China CAMC Engineering Co Ltd President, Luo Yan, said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after paying a courtesy call on Vice President Joyce Mujuru at her Munhumutapa offices, Luo said interest shown by the governments of Zimbabwe and China would further cement the bond that exists between CAMC and Zimbabwe's agricultural concern, Farmers' World.
Farmers' World imported the machinery under a deal brokered by the government and the Zimbabwe Farmers' Development Trust.
CAMC and Farmers' World signed a deal aimed at boosting tobacco yields, with the latter importing a total of 424 tractors and various other farming implements valued at over 25 million U.S. dollars from China under the first phase of the deal.
"The first phase has been successful and now our focus is on the second part of the project. Discussions will begin soon," Luo said, adding the deal would be bigger than the first one. Farmers' World has already indicated that it will import a further 1,000 tractors, combine harvesters, disc harrows, planters and other equipment during the second phase of the project.
China granted a loan of 58 million dollars, of which 25 million dollars was for the first phase with the remainder for the second phase.
Luo said her company would service the machines should they experience any technical faults, adding a team of technical experts would be arriving in the country soon. "We hope this deal will boost agriculture and increase tobacco yields," she said.
The farming equipment, to be distributed countrywide, will be used by tobacco contract farmers.The Zimbabwe Farmers' Development Trust is expected to deliver to China 30 million kg of tobacco from 15,000 hectares in the first year, Zimbabwe's Agricultural Engineering and Mechanization Minister Joseph Made said on Saturday. By the fifth year the delivery was expected to have risen to 80 million kg produced from 40,000 hectares, he said.
Source:佚名