Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday received 25,000 tonnes of wheat donated by the Russian government and 23,000 tonnes of fertiliser provided by a Moscow-based agricultural chemicals manufacturer.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Harare, Mnangagwa thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for the donation, saying Harare was ready to cooperate with Moscow in strengthening its fertiliser industry.
“With regards to developing our local fertiliser industry, plans are underway to increase capacity for growth of the industry,” Mnangagwa said.
He added: “We are ready to foster greater collaboration, Partnerships and welcome new investments from the Russian Federation in this area.”
Moscow’s top envoy to Zimbabwe Nikolai Krasilnikov said the wheat was donated by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the United Grain Company, while the fertiliser was donated by Uralchem-Uralkali group of companies.
“Both deliveries were carried out in line with the implementation of the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to provide assistance to African countries,” the ambassador said.
Wednesday’s donation is part of an undertaking by Putin during the Second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in July 2023 when the Russian leader pledged to provide free grain to six African countries where Moscow’s influence has grown in recent years.
Putin announced at the time that Russia would deliver between 25,000 and 50,000 tonnes of grain free of charge to Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe.
JN/APA