BOKA Tobacco Floors (BTF) is set to construct a selling
floor in Karoi in Mashonaland West Province as it embraces the decentralisation
of tobacco marketing. The construction of the floor will also dovetail with the
Government’s devolution agenda, which is encouraging the decentralisation of
private investments.
BTF managing director Ms Chido Nyakudya, told The Herald
Finance & Business the construction of the floor would begin soon and will
be ready for use next season.
This will bring convenience to many farmers around the
province who have been travelling long distances to sell their commodity to
Harare where most auction floors are located.
“The local economy in Karoi will get a huge boost from the
increased activities in the town,” said Ms Nyakudya.
“The town council will broaden their revenue generation
potential. The selling floors also create an ecosystem of service providers,
traders, financial institutions, who will coalesce in and around the town.”
BTF has acquired state-of-the-art machinery to build the
floors modelled around the iconic Boka Tobacco Floors in Harare. Ms Nyakudya
said the investment came at the right time when authorities are working on
enhancing orderly marketing of tobacco.
“Orderly marketing of tobacco starts with appropriate
infrastructure,” said Ms Nyakudya.
“The importance of the tobacco industry in Zimbabwe should
be matched with appropriate and state-of-the-art infrastructure which Boka is
ready to provide.”
Make-shift tobacco floors setup in run down warehouses do not
give confidence to investors considering to be a part of the country’s
agriculture industry.
“Good infrastructure also gives confidence to farmers and
local business. Each time a solid infrastructure is built, new businesses
sprout around it,” said Ms Nyakudya.
Mashonaland West is among the largest tobacco producing
provinces in the country. The Boka selling floor will serve farmers in Hurungwe
District including Tengwe, Kazangarare, communities around Karoi, Nyama
resettlement, Nyamakate area and Magunje. Even farmers in the Mhangura and
Chinhoyi area can travel to Karoi to sell their crop.
Devolution agenda
The Government is currently implementing devolution agenda
that emphasise regional economic development. Devolution refers to the
cascading of powers and responsibilities to lower levels of governance by the
central Government and in Zimbabwe a key feature of this is the creation of
provincial councils that will become the authority in the running of affairs in
the country’s regions. In recognition of the importance of devolution, the
Government has made the implementation of the concept a key strategy of the
national development agenda.
The devolution and decentralisation programme features
prominently in the socio-economic development roadmap, Vision 2030, the TSP and
the 2019 National Budget. It is anchored on the overriding objective of
promoting sustainable, representative, accountable and inclusive governance. It
recognises the right of communities to manage their economic affairs and
further their own development as well as encouraging the equitable sharing of
local and national resources.
The model of devolution will facilitate investment in
various districts at growth points. The national GDP will be disaggregated to
the provincial level for competitiveness purpose. The provincial management of
the economy entails working closely with the private sector to capture data and
understanding their requirements.
“This approach to decentralisation of tobacco floors will
help decentralise economic activities and de-congest Harare,” said Ms Nyakudya.
Herald
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