GASABO - The Ministry of Agriculture plans to triple agricultural production next season, the Minister of Agriculture Christopher Bazivamo told the Senate Thursday.

He said that 31 percent of the terraced land in the country is not productive. "This land is not very productive because most of the farmers lack the necessary skills to ensure effective productivity,” he explained.

He added that there was no clear strategy to address the poor skills of the farmers in the country. The minister also told members of the Senate that close to 15 million tonnes of soil has been swept away by soil erosion.

He attributed this to poor maintenance of terraces.
Bazivamo told the Senate that the ministry plans to reduce soil erosion to zero by next year. This he hopes will help to increase on the productivity of agricultural land.

The Senators were informed that the Ministry of Agriculture would increase the amount of terraced land from 193,735 hectares to 1,000,400 by next year.

Ends