Iran sends $3.5mn to Zimbabwe for tractor factory

The Iranian ambassador to Zimbabwe has announced that Iran has sent $3.5 million to the Southern African country.

Ambassador Mohammad Pournajaf said on Saturday that the funds will help pay for the completion of the Zimbabwe-Iran tractor assembly plant, a project which was inaugurated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in 2010.

The Motira Tractor Plant is located in Harare’s Willowvale industrial area.

Under a program established by the two countries, farmers will pay an initial deposit of 30 percent of the price of a tractor and pay the rest in 24 months.

Pournajaf also said that 12 Zimbabwean technicians have been sent to the Islamic Republic for training in the assembly and maintenance of tractors.

Relations between Tehran and Harare have been improving over the past few years.