Source: Zimbabwe Farmers Not Ready for Forthcoming Crop Season – VOA August 19, 2016
CHINHOYI — Most farmers in Mashonaland West say they are ill-prepared for the 2016/2017 agricultural season, noting that some of them have not yet been paid for the produce delivered last year to the state-controlled Grain Marketing Board.
Some of them say they don’t even have agricultural inputs.
One of the farmers, Munashe Mujeri, said most of the farmers do not have funds for the 2016/2017 agricultural season as they were not paid for delivering maize, sorghum and other products to the GMB.
Another farmer, Khlupeko, said some farmers lost their implements to financial institutions for failing to service bank loans.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union president, Abdul Credit Nyathi, added that his organization has appealed for credits in the form of maize seed and fertilizer from companies producing agricultural inputs.
But Mr Mujeri said inputs from such companies are too expensive and make farming business unprofitable.
Nyathi noted that due to climate change his union has embarked on an educational drive urging farmers to plough early and late crops and to cultivate drought-tolerant crops like sorghum and millet.
Khlupeko said unions are not doing enough to protect farmers from unscrupulous financial institutions that are confiscating their farm implements.
Khlupeko said farmers’ organizations should engage the government on reviewing producer prices to cushion farmers from high agricultural input costs.
But farming analysts said for farmers to produce enough to feed the nation government should subsidize inputs like what other countries like Zambia and Malawi are doing.
A 50 kilogram bag of fertiliser that cost $35 in Chinhoyi is selling for $7 in Zambia.
COMMENTS
“A 50 kilogram bag of fertiliser that cost $35 in Chinhoyi is selling for $7 in Zambia.”
As usual there is a systematic collusion between all those purportedly private institutions & the zanu pf government to suck the last drop of blood from the ordinary hardworking citizens. Otherwise, why would the zanu pf government ban farmers or any other citizens from going out of the country and by cheaper goods instead of being forced by government to buy largely inferior commodities at heavily inflated prices ( always @ 5 to 10 the prices one would get better quality goods in neighbouring countries). Shame!
It’s high time everyone, including the gullible rural masses came to their senses and see this vampire regime for what it is: a ruthless, satanic, blood-sucking Vampire that thrives on the sweat & blood of the overly impoverished citizens. nxaaaaaaa!
Yeah, the input costs are high, and the farmers don’t get paid… all because of Mugabe’s travel ban. If Grace could just return to spending the country’s money in Paris, London, and New York City boutiques all would be well. Right.
I do have to wonder how many of those complaining farmers have legitimate ownership of their farms. Further, because a lending firm repossesses equipment because on non-payment of loans does not make that lending institution unscrupulous… they are not in business as a benevolent organization, and they can not stay in business if they operate as one.
Mapingu has it right… the gullible rural masses buy into that nonsense the ZANU-PF crowd keeps pushing. But, it’s because ZANU-PF controls the distribution of information, and does not allow a comparison of facts… admittedly, some people are just gonna believe what they want to believe, in spite of facts.
First of all, farming is a business and like all businesses in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe it is suffering from the ineptitude at the top.
The other things like corruption affecting businesses are also affecting farming but I think farming is worse off because the ‘farmers’ think they need some special privileges only afforded to them.
Their non payment from the GMB for example is a result of rampant corruption that Mugabe has nurtured over the years and is now flourishing with devastating consequences.
Be healthy and eat your green vegetables, that’s the advise from a fellow farmer who has a whopping 20 million debt. Oh and also stop whining at the instruction of those in the diaspora, if you don’t like it leave. Pamberi.