via Hungry villagers sell fertiliser to Zambia | The Zimbabwean 05.11.13 by Pamenus Tuso
Hunger-weary villagers in Binga have resorted to selling farming inputs they received through the government’s agricultural scheme so they can buy food.
The villagers are reportedly selling the farming inputs to neighbouring Zambia, where demand is high. A 50kg bag of ammonium nitrate or compound D fertiliser costs between $20 and $40 in Zambia but sells for between $15 and $25 in Zimbabwe. “Most villagers are diverting the inputs to Zambia where they get cash to buy food. Some are even barter trading the inputs with grain and other foodstuffs. At the present moment, the assistance which the people of Binga need is food rather than the inputs,” said a councillor in the area.
District administrator Lydia Ndethi confirmed the development.
“We have received reports that some villagers who benefited from the government-sponsored farming inputs scheme are selling the fertiliser to Zambians. This is an illegal practice and we are working with the police so that the culprits can be brought to book,” she said.
Binga is one of the areas in Matabeleland North province hardest hit by food shortages. Some children in the area are hiding in bushes during the day to avoid travelling the long distances to school. Hospital officials also say some villagers have resorted to eating poisonous roots.
COMMENTS
I PROMISE TO FEED ALL ZIMBABWEANS, COME WIND COME WEATHER! IF I DONT, FIRE ME B4 2018!,H of S and G, and C in C of DFs!pamberi ne zanupf
Only a few lazy people are doing this, after our successfuful land reform we must work hard to feed ourselves. Droughts have been there, but people always keeps some seeds for the next season work up
You are very stupid. What do you mean by successful land reform. You are an idiot. Google or visit a dictionary to find the meaning of successful.
You are a fool nesbert. Owning land and working on it is the only way to secure food for the future. Work up sonny
How many of the land owners are working the land to produce grain though because much of the land is used to grow tobacco instead of maize and the likes.
Eish Washumba….. you are too educated huh!!! Successful means it is working / operating as it should. If the land reform was so successful, then why is Mad Bob begging Zambia for maize (grown by the farmers that were kicked out of Zimbabwe)? 90% of all farms that were “redistributed” lie fallow (for you, that means no farming, just weeds and dry soil). We used to supply Southern Africa with maize and feed our people, even during drought (cause all the dams and rivers were managed properly), now we are begging Southern African countries to help us feed our people. They also know how bad we are at paying, so now they are asking for cash up front. Very successful land reform hey…. you are a twat!!!
So the news that currently 2.2 million people are not facing starvation? Get a life you silly zanoid. We are not baboons.
Selling a 10kg bag of seed and a 50kg of fertiliser shows desperation. Some even sell cattle. What causes these communities to starve year in year out. Binga is not an agricultural area so give them other source of income.
How about the Zambezi water project, that might help the binga people. There is no need to give them maize and ferilisers for now but give them something to eat and fertilisers later please. The government should start looking into creation of employment in that area.
revise ur approaches when it comes to development. ask urselves what is t that the people need, u shud knw their felt needs. thy dnt have food and how long are they goin to wait for the harvest.
Have you ever done geography at school Zimbo? Drought is real , it can happen at any time. Next time we have good rains we are not going to import any maize mark my words.
Chamutengure explain the distribution of inputs and fertilizer in an area where people are in need of food and yet someone has the guts to say that he want to arrest the culprits for what?
and mind u we do not want to work on assumptions kyt heee it can happen, lets work with what is on the ground.
It is completely unfair to even suggest to have these poor people arrested for trying to survive.The local government official should be fired for failing to prioritise food distribution instead of agricultural inputs.How on earth did she expect starving people to till the land?The solution to Binga and other arid areas is not fertilizers but simple cow or other organic manure.These natural soil enriching substances have minimum burning effect on crops, in case there are no adequate rains. You can only depend on these fertilizers if you have a well established irrigation system.Our rains are never dependable,therefore a good farmer needs expensive resources and knowledge.This is why in most countries a very small percentage of the nation’s population are farmers.Farming is full of risks because no human being can control mother nature eg climate change,pests and seeds germination.After all Mat North is not meant for crops but animals.