They say good news never sells so I guess this week’s column might be boring because I have decided to focus on the positive side of Zimbabwe.
Not that I am a negative person or unpatriotic but the bad things that happen around us always seems to dominate the space.
Life is so expensive for most of us as goods and services are charged in US dollar which is very much elusive for many.
My passport expired a few weeks back and to get a new one, I need at least US$350 (about P3, 500).
That is quite a lot of money for us here; raising such an amount takes a lot of time, unless if one is a ‘dealer’ one way or the other or literally a gold digger.
Applying for one that would cost way less means I would be on the waiting list for two to three years hence the option is to get an emergency passport. And by the way, someone at the passport office will still expect a bribe.
So you see, these are the things that really make life suck in our country. Why would getting a passport be such a hassle?
Anyway I said I choose to focus on the good so enough of the negatives.
As I was going through news sites and social media this week, I realised that our country still has what it takes to reclaim its status of being the breadbasket of the region. Of course it can never be the same but I guess we can still get somewhere near.
A lot of our people, myself included, love farming. With the right inputs, resources and support I have no doubt that we can do wonders.
The regime is trying in terms of supporting the ‘new farmers’ and one programme of note since the last farming season is that of giving inputs to farmers who practice dry tillage.
The system might be labour intensive since farmers manually till the land instead of using tractors or ploughs but the yields are good, to that I can testify.
Those who registered for the same programme this coming season have already started working on their fields and receiving their inputs, and if the rainy season forecast is anything to go buy, it will be yet another good season.
In terms of horticulture, farmers are no doubt working hard in their fields as the prices of most produce have gone down over the last couple of weeks. Of course it’s not good news to the farmer when prices go down but it is good news for the consumer as it means more vegetables on the table at lower prices.
So you see, there is hope for Zimbabwe, hope that things can really change for the better.