Source: Command Agric flaws exposed – DailyNews Live
Blessings Mashaya 2 December 2017
HARARE – The parliamentary committee on Lands, Agriculture, Mechanisation
and Irrigation Development has exposed flaws on the Command Agriculture
programme.
Presenting a report in the National Assembly on Thursday, the committee
chairperson Christopher Chitindi said most farmers did not get inputs on
time.
“In all the provinces that were visited by the committee, the recipients
complained that they did not get the inputs on time. In one case, at
Chibero College, they received their Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertiliser on
March 9, 2017 and this was of no use because the crop had been badly
affected. The college highlighted that they would store the fertilisers
for use in the next season.
“Most of the farmers who interacted with the committee learnt of Command
Agriculture through secondary sources such as neighbours and not from the
official channels.
“This is due to the fact that most smallholder farmers do not belong to
farming associations and Agritex officers are not mobile due to lack of
vehicles.”
The committee also said the people were not comfortable with the word
command as they believed it was linked to the military.
“The committee encountered both negative and positive perceptions about
Command agriculture.
“In KweKwe District, in one ward, only three farmers were courageous
enough to participate in the programme.
“The rest of the farmers shied away because of fear of the word
`Command’. The perception was that this is a military programme and if
one does not live up to the expectations, the consequences will be meted
out military style.
“In Norton, the farmers expressed displeasure that some people who did not
have land or had small hectarage received inputs which they went on to
sell on the black market.
“Furthermore, while waiting to collect their inputs at Chegutu depot,
various trucks received first preference and the army were at the
forefront in initiating the speedy collection of these inputs.
“One farmer in Norton refused to collect his inputs after being told he
would only get seed and was not given assurance of when he would receive
the rest of the inputs.
“His fear was that he would experience total disaster given that he did
not have resources to acquire other inputs such as fertilisers and
chemicals.”
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