Belarus says to supply Zimbabwe with 3,000 more tractors, 80 combine harvesters

By BelTA

MINSK: Belarus and Zimbabwe are looking to further boost cooperation with the East European country committing to provide Harare with an additional 3,000 tractors, it has emerged.

Belarus’ Industry Minister Aleksandr Rogozhnik recently met with Zimbabwean counterpart Dr. Sithembiso Gile Gladys Nyoni in the Belarus capital Minsk.

Rogozhnik expressed confidence that the meeting of the ministers held in the run-up to the next session of the intergovernmental commission in Harare would allow discussing cooperation matters in greater detail.

“Thanks to concerted efforts to implement joint projects, we will be able to achieve excellent results and reach a new level of cooperation,” the minister said.

For years, Belarus has been consistently building relations with a number of African countries, including Zimbabwe, and is going to continue doing it.

Rogozhnik recalled that more than 1,800 tractors and about 80 grain harvesters were supplied to farms in Zimbabwe as part of a agricultural mechanization programme, which helped ensure the country’s food security.

“The third phase of this program will be implemented in the near future. It envisages the supply of more than 3,000 tractors and 80 combine harvesters to local farmers over the coming years,” added Aleksandr Rogozhnik.

Promising avenues of cooperation include modernization of Belarus-made grain drying complexes, the supply of equipment for the forestry industry, dump trucks and buses. The Industry Ministry enterprises are now actively exploring these avenues of cooperation.

Minister Nyoni confirmed interest in expanding cooperation and creating a solid basis for long-term partnership.