Harare 17 Oct (ANA) - Zimbabwe's government has decided to ban the importation of horticultural products, including fruit and vegetables, in order to save foreign currency and to promote the sector's growth of, the agriculture minister has been quoted by the state-owned Herald newspaper as saying.

Joseph Made said President Robert Mugabe had ordered him to "quickly stop" the imports, and "the foreign currency being wasted on the importation of carrots and grapes will now be utilised towards the purchase of more fertilisers and pesticides". The government also wanted to increase rice production because it has "become a very important source of starch, but is consuming a lot of foreign currency," Mr Made was quoted as saying.(ANA)

FA/ANA/17 October 2017---