via Land sub-leasing law on cards | The Herald August 18, 2014
Government is drafting a regulatory framework on contract farming that is expected to deal with cases of resettled farmers who are leasing farms to white former commercial farmers, a senior official said last week.The new farmers are leasing the land under the disguise of engaging in contract farming, it was established.
This comes after several reports of some resettled farmers who are leasing out land to the white former commercial farmers under the pretext that they were working as partners.
The white former commercial farmers will use the land and make profit and pay a small fee to the farmer.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development responsible for crops, Cde Davis Marapira, said sub-leasing land was one of the areas the framework would address. He said the ministry was going to conduct an investigation with assistance from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement to find out the farmers who were leasing out land.
“We are going to carry out investigations on contract farming and the partnerships (that) farmers are undertaking and, we will deal with the culprits,” said Cde Marapira.
“It is illegal for resettled farmers to lease land. Farmers intending to venture into contract farming or partnerships should approach the Ministry of Agriculture’s economics and marketing department and also liaise with the Agricultural Marketing Authority for assistance.”
Cde Marapira said AMA would spell out Government’s expectations from the parties entering into a partnership.
“These institutions will assist the farmers with what is expected of them, what is expected of the contractor and how the partnership should be handled,” he said. Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora recently admitted to having received reports of farmers leasing out land to the former owners.
He said this was against the spirit of the land reform, which was meant to empower the indigenous people who were the rightful owners of the land.
Dr Mombeshora warned farmers doing so that they would have their farms repossessed and redistributed to other landless Zimbabweans on the waiting list.
COMMENTS
Why is it that everything that ZANU-PF does is like stuffing a square peg into a round hole? It’s painful, difficult and rarely successful.
Instead of their we-know-what’s-best-for-you-and-you-don’t attitude, perhaps they should ask successful people how they got that way? If a black farmer wants to lease out his land to a white farmer, what’s wrong with that? He may not make a big profit, but at least he’s making a profit. Farming for profit is very, very difficult. Why should the government care how a black farmer makes his money, so long as he pays his taxes?
The constitution forbids discrimination and gives all citizens the same rights, and yet the whole land program is the personification of racism. Eventually the courts will find it to be unconstitutional. It may not happen until long after the top racist Mugabe is dead and gone, but it will eventually happen.
What sort of independence is it if the government tells you how to farm your land?
let the farmers farm as they are on the ground and know what is best for them. Gushungo has Joseph Made as his farm manager, so why should other farmers not employ managers?
Gushungo doesn’t like whites, but that does not make it the law of the land.
Yes to the above and only full title will suffice not long lease, not AI permits. The financial sector needs instruments that represent unfettered security of tenure. Now get a life, grow up and let farmers farm, teachers teach , traders trade etc.
The Chinese are farming, they are White?
Its double looting . Double free bucks. So nothing will happen. Its too lucrative for the land rustlers thieves criminals looters plunderers rogues
indignisetion zim asert no out come from these plans why bcoz 2day this 2mro u change. Cant c anythng wrong farming wth whites its an adverntage 2 the agric sector coz 1. Thy hav $ 2 do it , 2 thy no who 2 do it,etc etc . Only wat u hav 2 do is tese tirikurima nevarungu lets do it ths way u got so much hectrage so we comand u 2 plant maize eg 50hectors soya beans 50hectors and bring 2 GMB straight then black &white farmer are done u now the gvmnt must hav ready $ & u must pay ipapo on the spot u wil c things wil go on well than shouting & backsliding every thing everyday. Viva ZANU PF.
the white farmers must be mad to work with land invaders and murderers.
I agree with Supermondo white farmers working with thieves and thugs are no better themselves. leave the incapable war vets to produce diddly squat , if the government hates whites so much why the hell are any of these whites helping them produce food??? let the government produce it.
Me too. I wld be seriously pissed off if a white farmer leased our farm from a thieving politician. No conscience, no scruples.
Not all beneficiaries are thieves, nor all white sub-letters corrupt goons.
Careful with the stroke of that brush. Not everyone can be painted te same way.
Why are farmers allowed to sub-contract to Chinese, but not white Zimbabweans? Take it to the UN.
maroto maroto.
The Chinese simply love corrupt governments especially black ones. You see Chinese are rascist and see blacks as nothing. So Bob and co have sold our country to thugs and complete rascists.
More of the same.Same old! Same old! As with the Israelites of old, this generation must die in their wilderness completely before their children can enter the promised land. Bring it on!
He/she who argues that white is not white is either color blind or an outright fool. The Chinese are undoubtedly white and cannot be mistaken for black. Those that call the Chinese our cousins are mad. How whiter is one white from another does not make the less white a non-white. Yes the Chinese are less white than the real white but fact remains that they are white. What goes for the white people must also go for the Chinese and vice versa. After all the history of Chinese investment in Zimbabwe is very recent compared with that of whites who came to this country in 1890. Chinese should not have an upper hand over the Europeans and other races.
Lol, Chinese are not white. They’re not white according to any demographic statistic anywhere.