BY NUNURAI JENA/JAMES MUONWA/SIMBARASHE SITHOLE
THE 72nd edition of Mashonaland West Agricultural Show kicked off in Chinhoyi yesterday, with a reduced number of exhibitors’ compared to last year. Show society general manager Brian Vengai said 66 exhibitors had taken up the stands compared to 83 last year.
“Last minute entries by exhibitors remain a problem, as the trend may continue into the opening day of the show, which is a business day,” he said. This year’s show is being held under the theme Building the Gross Domestic Product of Mash West and is expected to be officially opened today by Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs minister Mary-Mliswa Chikoka.
Vengai said the 2019 theme dovetails with the government’s thrust of devolution.
“We want to be the centre of echoing the devolution agenda and create linkages among various stakeholders through exhibitions and conferences,” he said.
When NewsDay Weekender visited the venue yesterday, show goers, particularly school children, were coming in droves to enjoy the event
Some exhibitors were still putting final touches to their stands in anticipation of a high turnout on the main day.
Show society public relations officer Kundai Arunashe said new exhibitors this year included listed concern Innscor, Fivet, GetBucks, Cassava Smartech, Farm Shop and Old Mutual.
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“There has also been an increase in the number of farmers from all the province’s seven districts, coming to showcase their agricultural produce,” Arunashe said.
Zimdancehall chanters Jah Signal and T-Gonz are the most popular at the show, with hundreds trooping to come and watch them. The Zimbabwe Republic Police in Mashonaland Central walked away with three trophies after scooping the overall winner at the provincial agricultural show that just ended in Bindura recently.
Speaking to NewsDay Weekender, Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe said the prizes would go a long way in motivating them achieve their vision of a crime-free nation by 2030.
“We were overall winners at the just-ended provincial agricultural show and having scooped first prizes in categories like Criminal Investigations Department (CID) homicide, CID drugs and public and international relations department, we feel greatly honoured and will tighten our belts to achieve our Vision 2030 goal of a crime-free Zimbabwe,” he said.
Mundembe said police were worried with the increase in robbery and rape cases in the province.
“We are disturbed with the increase in robbery and rape cases, especially from unregistered taxi operators. We, therefore, urge the public to avoid using unlicensed taxis as they risk being robbed or raped,” he added.
