State Launches Phase 3 of Farm Mechanisation on Saturday

Government will on Saturday launch the third phase of the Farm Mechanisation Programme that will see more people receiving various farming machinery and implements to boost agricultural production.

Addressing a star rally at Bazeley Bridge in Marange, Manicaland Province, President Mugabe said the equipment, which includes tractors, was already in the country.

"On Saturday we will distribute more implements, including tractors. We now have them," he said. President Mugabe added the Government would source small tractors for small-scale farmers to increase food security. He urged those who have already benefited from the programme to cultivate the land productively. "Let us plough the land, but you should also be aware that there are enemies thinking that the land reform exercise is temporary, that it can be reversed. That is why they are buying some within us so that they take back the land," President Mugabe said. He said Zimbabweans must defend their land because it is a gift from God and warned some Western countries like Britain and the United States of America to stay away from the issue.