The Zimbabwe Agricultural Show has been pencilled for the end of September and early next October. This was announced by the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS) newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andrew Matibiri in a media conference today.
Dr Matibiri, who was flanked by ZAS chairperson, Ivan Craig said that the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show is set to be held from 27 September to 1 October 2021.
“The theme of the show is “Synergy Growth – Co-operate, Collaborate (and) Complement” to rally support for the cause of agriculture and attendant value chains for increased “Productivity, Production and Profitability,” said Dr Matibiri.
The event, which is also running under the sub-theme, “Celebrating unprecedented growth” is expected to be officially opened on 30 September. Dr Matibiri, however, did not disclose who would officially open the show.
The exhibition is expected to be held under very strict COVID-19 safety precautions.
“All exhibitors to the show require to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or else they will be required to produce a COVID-19 test certificate from a test taken no later than 48 hours before the start of the show. During the show, there will be booths outside the park (venue) where visitors can get a free test for COVID-19, while inside the park there will also be booths where free vaccination against COVID-19 will be available.
“Contactless body temperature checks will be conducted on all entrants at every gate into the park. All gates into the park will be equipped with walk-in sanitiser booths,” Dr Matibiri said.
In addition to these measures, ZAS will also insist on visitors and stand staff fully masking up, social distancing and frequent hand washing and sanitisation. The show organisers will also monitor using drones and control crowd sizes to ensure that the event does not become a super spreader. The event venue will be disinfected before and after show hours, while motor vehicle movement in the show grounds will not be permitted.
The main features of this year’s edition of the show include the Annual National Agribusiness Conference, which has been set for 29 September. Another highlight of the event is a Mining Agri-Village that is expected to demonstrate the synergies between the agricultural and mining sectors.