Zimbabwe - Overseas Development Institute

As at l e a s t part of these linkages can be analysed better by
considering the input/output data between the sectors, we s h a l l
now examine the evidence which e x i s t s - crude though i t i s .
5.2 A g r i c u l t u r a l Inputs i n t o Manufacturing
The data i n Table 14 c l e a r l y show that over the past 16
years the manufacturing sector has absorbed an i n c r e a s i n g share
of the output from a g r i c u l t u r e , r i s i n g from 13% i n 1965 to 44% by
1981/82. At constant p r i c e s , t h i s implies a sevenfold increase i n
a g r i c u l t u r a l products used by manufacturing. I f only the output
of commercial a g r i c u l t u r e i s considered, the r e l a t i o n s h i p i s even
c l o s e r , with manufacturing absorbing 16% of t o t a l marketed output
i n 1965, but as high as 59% by the e a r l y 1980s. That t h i s
increased linkage between the two sectors has been of importance
to manufacturing i s i n d i c a t e d by the f a c t that as a proportion of
t o t a l inputs purchased by manufacturing, those o r i g i n a t i n g i n the
domestic a g r i c u l t u r a l sector rose from 10% i n 1965 to 20% i n 1975
and almost to 30% by 1981/82.
Table 14
Agricultural Output and Manutacturing Inputs
1965 1975 1981/82
Percent of Agricultural
output used as input by 12.8
manufacturing sector
31.1 43.9
Percent of commercial
agricultural output 16.0
used as input by the
manufacturing sector
Percent of inputs used
by manufacturing sector 9.7
originating in the
domestic agricultural
sector
38.6 59.2
20.4 29.2
Source: National Accounts and Balance of Payments of Rhodesia 1965,
Harare, CSO, 1966, Table 60; UNCTAD (1980:Annex III); for 1981 unpublished
data provided by the CSO, Harare, in part reproduced in UNIDO (1986b:126-
140;Annexes A to D) ; Census of Production 1983/84 and 1979/80, Harare, CSO. '
Not s u r p r i s i n g l y , most of a g r i c u l t u r e ' s inputs to manufact-'
u r i n g are used as inputs i n t o the Foodstuffs and Beverages and
Tobacco sub-sectors - accounting f o r 90% of a l l a g r i c u l t u r a l
production used by manufacturing up to the e a r l y 1970s; however
i n more recent years with the expansion of cotton production and
cotton ginning f a c i l i t i e s , sub-sector 3, T e x t i l e s , has increased
i t s share d r a m a t i c a l l y , r i s i n g to 21% of a l l a g r i c u l t u r a l
products u t i l i s e d by manufacturing i n 1981/82, amounting to $96