Mr. Mbetsa, Provincial Administrator,

　　Engineer Njunga, President of Manicaland Agricultural Show and your members,

　　The Service Chief here present,

　　Mr Chiringa, the District Administrator for Mutare District,

　　Councillor Jerison, the Mayor of Mutare,

　　Heads of Government departments here present,

　　Distinguished guests,

　　Ladies and Gentlement,

　　Good afternoon! It gives me great pleasure to be the Guest of Honor at this year’s Manicaland Agricultural Show.

　　I just arrived in Zimbabwe two months ago to assume my office as the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe. To you, I am a new comer. To me, Zimbabwe and the Province of Manicaland in particular are quite familiar. I was posted to several African countries before and had the opportunity to visit this beautiful country. But working in Zimbabwe is a brand new experience to me. I spent the past two months in Harare. And when I decided to go out to see the rest of the Zimbabwe, I chose Manicaland as my first destination.

　　Yesterday afternoon, I was in Mutare. I drove along the streets of the city, what I saw was such a booming economy, with stores full of goods. Then I went to the diamond mining area of Anjin Company, a joint venture between China and Zimbabwe. I was amazed by the busy production scenery. And I was deeply impressed when I was told Anjin Company spent millions of dollars to relocate the people from the mining area. They built almost 500 houses, a school, a clinic and a road in the resettlement area.

　　This morning, I drove to Troutbeck, Nyanga. I was so attracted to its natural beauty that I really wish I had time to play several holes on that golf course. To more of my surprise is that scenic attraction is just one of many kinds of natural resources Manicaland has. Besides that, the province has diamond which I just mentioned, gold, timber forests, and fauna. And I also learned that the province has 5 agro-ecological regions which afford it to engage in diversified economic activities, such as tea and coffee, horticulture, animal husbandry, crop and various types of fruits, etc.

　　I am informed that rainfall in Manicaland continues to be erratic with some areas receiving below normal rainfall last season. Despite the drought last year, the Province planted 213,500 hectares of maize, 53,100 hectares of sorghum and 44,800 hectares of millet, which indicates what an important role Manicaland plays in ensuring food security of this country.

　　This afternoon, I was here together with you to attend this year’s agricultural show. Your theme “Promoting Empowerment through Natural Resources for Sustainable Economic Growth” demonstrates your seriousness in participating in the turnaround of the economy. I am so pleased to see what a flourishing agricultural market Manicaland has.

　　Ladies and gentlemen,

　　There is an old Chinese proverb saying that people regard food as their heaven, which indicates how important agriculture is to a country and to its people. Agriculture is not only the bedrock of economic development, but also the precondition of social stability and national security. The Chinese government attaches great importance to agriculture, and invests a large amount of capital, technology and labor force every planting season. Now, China can feed her people, which accounts for more than one-fifth of the world population with only 9% of the global arable land. China is also making positive contribution to the increase of agricultural turnout in the world. However, we are clear-headed in that there is a long road ahead for China to improve the application of science and technology in agriculture. A new development strategy of ecological agriculture is gradually being spread and rooted in China as well.

　　China and Zimbabwe are both agriculture-based countries. We are facing the same tasks of promoting the agricultural quality and quantity to boost living standard and economic growth. There exists broad prospect of cooperation in the field of agriculture between us. In recent years, we have being providing agricultural assistance to you:

　　--to promote the agricultural skills, China built an agricultural technology demonstration center, sent 15 agricultural experts and another 10 experts are on their way here.

　　--to help secure the food supply, China donated 14 million USD worth of urgent food aid to Zimbabwe, which was the largest food aid ever rendered by Chinese government to a foreign country.

　　--to uplift the agricultural production level, China donated 2.4 million USD worth of agricultural machineries to Zimbabwe.

　　--to improve the agricultural infrastructure, China is now working closely with Zimbabwean side in a number of irrigation programs, which I hope will help alleviate the drought Manicaland province and the rest of Zimbabwe suffered last season.

　　--to expand the agricultural cooperation, Chinese government has all along encouraged Chinese companies to invest in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. We are now enjoying good cooperation in such areas as tobacco, cotton and grain planting. And especially in tobacco field, the Chinese company is doing an excellent job. China has the largest number of smokers in the world, which I am not proud of. What makes me proud is that China is now the largest buyer of Zimbabwe tobacco, and we always pay the highest price. Manicaland province contributes significantly to Zimbabwe’s production of Virginia tobacco. I believe we have great potential for cooperation in this regard.

　　Ladies and gentlemen,

　　Your agricultural show could not have come at a better time when farmers are preparing for the 2012/2013 agricultural season. The forum provides a platform for exchange of ideas and knowledge which is critical if the sector is going to achieve its goal for food security and being the backbone of the economy. Despite the adverse effect of the sanctions which were imposed on Zimbabwe by the West, Zimbabwean farmers continue to be resilient and coming up with innovative ways to increase production. This is very commendable indeed. China is firmly against the illegal sanction imposed on Zimbabwe and calls for their removal without any conditions.

　　I wish to thank all the farmers and companies who have managed to exhibit this year despite the fact that the economy is still to recover fully and wish you all the best in your endeavors. I also would like to thank the Governor and Resident Minister of Manicalanad Province, Hon. Christopher Mushowe, for inviting me to this occasion and assure the people of Manicaland of my country’s support in your endeavors. I commend the organizers of this show for a job well done.

　　Ladies and gentlemen,

　　China cherishes its friendship with Zimbabwe. As the new Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, I will do my best to work with all of you to uplift the existing good relations between our two countries to a new height. Now, I have the honor and privilege to declare this edition of the Manicaland agricultural show officially open.

　　Thank you! Tatenda!