A 71-year-old Silobela-based widow Tracy Maphosa, proved her mettle when she was selected to represent Zimbabwe cotton farmers in Brazil.
Maphosa came third in the Kwekwe district farmer of the year competitions.
She shared her experiences on her trip to Brazil to Impact Stories Zimbabwe, on the sidelines of a district field day held at farm 34 Dunlop in Kwekwe.
“I am a 71-year-old widow and have been into cotton farming for over 20 years. This year I was chosen to go to Brazil to represent Zimbabwe and it was a very exciting opportunity.
“I learnt a lot from Brazilians because they are also good at cotton production and they said that if we continue to work hard in cotton production they will support us with machinery,” she said.
Maphosa expressed her gratitude to the government of Zimbabwe for awarding her the lifetime opportunity.
“I am grateful to the government for recognizing my efforts, I never thought that I would ever go to such a place in my lifetime,” she said.
Just as the government is promoting the idea of taking farming as a business to every Zimbabwean, Maphosa proved to be ahead as she has been surviving from proceeds of agricultural production over the years.
“I am proud of myself as a farmer because for my homestead to be decent as it is right now it is because of cotton production.
“AlI my children are professionals in different fields because of cotton, I am who I am today because of farming so I am a proud farmer. “
She urged women to venture into cotton production for the betterment of their lives.
“I encourage women to venture into cotton production to improve their lives.”
Meanwhile, the government through the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement is geared to increase its support for cotton farmers in the coming farming seasons.
