Posted by Karoi, November 29, 2009 – Zimbabwe’s newly resettled black farmers say they have been caught off guard this year as government withdrew its support due to lack of funds to support them.
Sarudzai Makaka, a 56 year old widow from Karoi, regrets invading the farm she is now staying at. She said, she wished she had not left her rural home to settle at the farm. At her rural home, she used to get free seed handouts. ”If only I had remained at the communal farms, I could have benefited from these handouts by Non-Government Organisations,” she says to Radio VOP.
Since the chaotic land invasions by war veterans of President Robert Mugabe’s government, the black farmers who took over benefited from free fuel, seed, tractors among other many inputs. However the inputs, in most cases, were never used for the real purpose but were diverted to the black market where they were sold for a profit. This year the new inclusive government has withdrawn the support, saying government is broke as it needs to raise nearly USD 10 billion to resuscitate its ailing economy, which was damaged in the last decade during a political crisis in the country.
Makaka has a 250 hectare plot allocated to her late husband during the land invasions. She has no cattle and other assets worth for a commercial farmer. Her husband, a war veteran who led farm invasions passed away three years ago.
Makaka battles to restrain her tears saying, ”This farming season has caught us off-guard …I do not have any maize seed to plant. I have no hope of getting the seed soon as rains have already started. My application for a loan has been rejected by the bank.”
“Before my husband passed away, we could get everything from seed maize, fertiliser and chemicals in abundance. It was easy then, but now things have taken a new twist” she says. ”I do not see hope that we will get inputs.”
Another resettled farmer at Foliot farm about 50kilometres south of Karoi town, Jairosi Mukarati, believes they are being sidelined by NGOs because they get assistance from government.
NGO’s such as the UN’s Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has teamed up with others to provide free seed and other inputs to rural farmers but not commercial farmers. Even government has said it will assist communal farmers. Farmers that occupy pieces of land measuring between 20 and 400 hectares are regarded as commercial farmers or A2 farmers.
Makaka and others have been spending hours queueing at a Karoi bank with the hope of trying to secure a loan application for this farming season. But the banks have been rejecting many applications, demanding collateral, which many of the new farmers do not have.
A bank worker from one of the banks in Karoi said few people had their loan applications approved this season. ”We have had few loan applications for farmers approved as not all farmers meet requirements… Banks are not just approving loans but are trying to take farming as a business enterprise that must be properly managed,”said a bank worker.
Another bank source said only 150 farmers had their applications approved from nearly 2000 applications at the branch.
For many resettled farmers around Karoi farming town here, situated about 204 north-west of Harare and at Mantuzuma farm in particular, there is no hope of getting free seed. Farmers in the area who have cattle are auctioning them in exchange for seed.
Makaka looks after four children and eight grandchildren. Her eldest son, Ranganai aged 25 years is married and has three siblings.
However a Tengwe based Agriculture Extension Officer [AREX] official says not so many farmers deserve the larger plots they got. ” There is great need of land re-distribution among the so-called A2 farmers as few are capable.
”We are expecting at least a quarter of tobacco production this season as few farmers managed to plant and without free inputs from Government, maize production will be low than expected. ”
However farm invasions continue unabated in Zimbabwe with the new government turning a blind eye. Some of the white commercial farmers driven out of their farms have resettled in other African countries and recently media reports said some of them had successfully boosted Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Biti is doing a good job for his masters by blocking inputs from South Africa. New farmers MUST fail by all means. That is the new law in town.
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Abel,read again this article.Its of no use,even if they are given inputs-hapana chinobuda.For how long have they been receiving inputs?Which year did Zim have an abundant haverst?They invade a Farm that is about to be ripe with crop,harvest that crop and the following season there’s nothing on that farm,lazy skunks.They are only good at killing the animals they find on these farms and harvest what someone sow,good for nothing pple.
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Musango, remember when the Rhodesians arrived in Zimbabwe they spent many years receiving support from their government, and considering they had slave labour from your grandfather to aid him. The new farmers need to be given time, but that is very difficult when their own kith and kin are working with the people who are against the agrarian reform. There is a word for such people but if I put it here the Editor will soma delete it.
If the Rhodesians did not have the slave labour from us and total gvt support, I am sure they would have suffered the same fate.
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Abel,lets not hide behind a finger.The Rhodesians did not inherit infrastructure,i agree with u that they had cheap labour.Our farmers just moved in,where there was a farmhouse,farming equipment including irrigation and already treated soil.What came out of all that-nothing.Abel,lets be serious,i believe at one time or another u were once offered something by our indigenous farmers that they had inherited from an invaded farm.I was actually forced to buy a truck for pea-nuts,go hunting on a farm that had been allocated to a collegue,because he believed he had too many free trucks and animals on the farm;therefor,ah!bhururu huya ubayewo yako mhuka.At the present moment that farm is lying idle and nomore animals that used to roam even in daylight.Abel,farming is a big business which needs somebody with skills.
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WHY SHOULD FAMERS GET HELP EVERY YEAR?????? IF THEY NED MONEY THEY SHOULD GO AND BORROW FROM THE AGRI BANK, THATS WHY IT IS THERE TO HELP FARMERS.
MY OLD MAN HAS ONE OF THESE FARMS AND HE IS DOING ECEPTIONALLY WELL. BUT HE IS NOT GETTING HELP FROM ZANU PF. AND IN ANYCASE THE GOVENMENT ONLY GIVES OUT TO ZANU PF BOOTLICKERS NOT EVERYBODY.
AND THAT HAS MADE THEM LAZY AND DEPENDENT. JUST LIKE ZANU WANTS IT SO THEY CAN USE THEIR POVERTY TO GET VOTES.
AND NOW THEY ARE SAYING BALME BITI. HA HA HA HA ABEL NOWHERE TO RUN NOW HUH???
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So Baba Tee, your father has a free farm but you still seem to want to fight on behalf of the former invaders why. Its people like you who are dangerous, criticising a system from which you benefitted.
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As I read through all the posts here, I am tempted to say that there seems to be a confusion between land ownership and production. I am aware that the underlying issue is the land reform. The new farmers should not expect to have perpetual assistance from the government without any production or any signs of progression at all. These new farmers should have been well supported not spoon fed since year 2000 upto now they are not producing anything. They should know that farming is a business and the country can not survive on subsistence farming. Singing praises for benefiting from the land reform does not improve the country;s economy, to those who benefited it is time to get down with farming. There is no substitute for production on these farms period. If any of those who benefited can not produce, the land should be redistributed to agriculture graduates who are willing to get the job done.
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ABEL
ARE YOU SAYING ALL BLACK ZIMBABWEANS WHO HAVE FARMS GOT THEM FOM ZANU PF????
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Baba Tee what then did you mean by saying:
MY OLD MAN HAS ONE OF THESE FARMS AND HE IS DOING ECEPTIONALLY WELL
What are these farms you mention?
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True Tino, farms should be taken away from those who are being lazy and given to those who can do proper farming. We have plenty of people we trained since 1980 who can do a good job. Accountability is also lacking from those who are getting the free support. Its time people were held accountable so that when they get the support then they must show signs of effort to produce.
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WHAT DIFFRENCE DOES IT MAKE?? BESIDES ARE THE FARMS NOT FOR ZIMBABWEANS?? ARE YOU SAYING THEY ARE FOR ZANU PF SUPPOTERS??
DOES THAT JUSTFY ALL THE IDIOTS WHO DO NORTHING AND EXPECT THE GOVENMENT TO GIVE THEM HANDOUTS EVERY YEAR???
THE STORY IS WHY SHOULD THE GOVENMENT KEEP GIVING HANDOUTS TO THE PEOPLE FROM 2000 THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING FREE STUFF. WHEN WILL THEY BE ABLE TO BE INDEPENDENT????
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We should start throwing a couple into prison for selling inputs on the black market and then that way people will know we mean business. So long as they are not punished, they will continue to be lazy. If you dont want to farm then let the next person take over.There are plenty of people who want that land and inputs.
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Abel,this is what reasonable pple are clamouring for.Y do we have to take farms from productive pple and give them to non-productive ones?Accountability is lacking in Zim,from the Leadership to the ordinary pple.Look at the way pple are being trampled by the so-called Leaders.
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ABHERO, on your last two comments i say well done, i won’t say now you see the light, coz deep down you know the issues and problems affecting Zim. Well done Abel for stating sense.
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As opposed to what Bub Mugabe. What I have always been against is punishing the people to the extent of returning the land to those you call rightfull owners. Read my comments carefully and you will realise I have not changed anything.
@Musango, so long you understand that cuts along all political parties and not zanu pf only.
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Land is God given,its land from our forefathers,why should it be given along political patronage?Give farms to pple who can produce and benefit the country.Let us remove the Zanoid mentality of “masapota” or vedu chete.At thesametime,those interested in these farms should be given all the assistance and a TIME FRAME to either produce or ship out.ONE MAN ONE FARM.
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True Musango, we agree 100% but you must also remember since Europe is for the Europeans, Asia for the Asians, America for the Americans, likewise why not Africa for the Africans. Why does this issue of equality suddenly apply to Africa? So which land do we say is ours now? Are you so easily tricked by these guys? Are we so useless that we dont have a place of our own?
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WE DIFFER ON CERTAIN THINGS BUT NOT EVERYTHING. I FOR ONE SUPPORT THE LAND THING, THOUGH I BELIEVE WE COULD HAVE DONE IT BETTER, WE STARTED RESETTLEMENTS BACK IN 1982. NOBODY WAS HURT AND WE RESSETLED PEOPLE. I THINK WE SHOULD JUXT HAVE CONTINUED THAT ON A LARGE SCALE. GIVE THE PREVIOUS OWNER TIME TO PACK HIS THINGS SELL UP AND GO. NOT TAKE HIS METERIAL PROPERTY WHEN WHAT WE WANT IS LAND.
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Baba TEE isu vakambotipa nguva yekurongedza here pavakatora minda yacho.
Try to be practical in your suggestions. On a larger scale. and where were the farms going to come from vanhu vacho vachiramba neminda yacho? What do you think prompted the invasions? Ungape muvengi nguva yekuto****ngedza my friend, what are you talking about?
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ACTUALLY ABEL YOU ARE BLOCKING FROM YOUR MEMORY THAT IN 1990, ZANU PF CHANGED THE CONSTITUION AND THEY WOULD TAKE LAND AND THE ENGLISH GOVENMENT WOULD COMPANSTE FOR THE STRUCTURES ON THE LAND. AND THE FAMER WAS GIVEN TIME TO SELL WHAT EVER HE OWNED ON THE LAND.
THEY TOOK FARMS BUT DID NOT RESSETLE PEOPLE THEY GAVE THEMSELVES 99 YEAR LEASES.
AND AGAIN YOUR MIND IS CONTAMINATED BY VIOLENCE, THEY KICKED US SO WE KICK THEM??? WHAT THEN IS THE DIFFRENCE???
SO ARE YOU SAYING IN ZIMBABWE TRESSPASSERS WILLNOT BE PROSECUTED??? OR DOES THAT APPLY ONLY TO BLACK PROPERTY???
WHY ARE YOU FILLED WITH HATE AND ANGER???
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ABhero, are you saying white, Asian etc. can not be Zimbabweans? what is one’s nationality? is it by colour?
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Yes Bob Mugabe. Not those who can ue money to change their citizenship when push comes to shove.
@Baba TEE, it seems it is you who is filled with anger s shown by your shouting.
What you say about 1990 is true but what happened next? In came Mr Blair and his arrogant gvt and said they had nothing to do with those compensations you are talking about. so it became dod eat dog. You keep money we keep land.So why cry now?
My friend varungu vaunoda kudefender ava when it comes time to kick your ass they will do just that saka why we be the forgivers everytime there is a conflict?
If Mugabe took farms and did not resettle people, thats a different matter, we will deal with Mugabe later but for now we take what belongs to us. Even if it means we will hang him later.No excuses for taking back what belongs to us, dont try to make excuses to keep the land Baba TEE. Minda takatora tsano. You and I should be fighting about the distribution of the land or how inputs are being wasted by corrupt Zanu pf officials or that some chefs have multiple farms while some deserving people dont have anything. I find it very odd that you fight that foreigners own your God given resources. What warped thinking is that? Lets fight amongst ourselves to make things fair but outsiders should keep their noses out of our business.When they do that I really get filled with Hate and anger.You got that right.
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Then Abhero, does it make sense kuti, we do away with farmers born in zim, grew up in zim, and know no other home except zim, only for other African Countrys to grab them and boost their economies, citizenship yekutenga kwete, but what about chizvarwa?
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Thats fine Bob Mugabe. Lets abide by our own laws. One man one farm of limited size. That way we all get something. Now the problem with the former CFU guys and Zanu pf chefs is that they dont want to share with others so then it becomes by Ginya.Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans.If you are Zimbabwean then you abide by the laws in Zimbabwe.You cant have someone who claims to be Zimbabwean going to report Mugabe to the British gvt like what the CFU did at the height of the land problems. Yes thats exactly what they did. When they realised that the British gvt was not going to help them much on the ground they then decided to engage the Zim gvt but it was already too late.
As for other countries grabbing the farmers, thats fine, lets worry about organising our own country and economy and in good time it will all be sorted out. This stage of antagonism is necessary in any revolution, zvinopera bhururu.
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can not dispute your comments, well said Abhero. if only we could nationally debate pasina Zanu or MDC, and deal with individuals.
this party staff causes people not to see facts from different corners.
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Thats it Bob Mugabe, unfortunately in the near future there will be no such debate as national. Its either you are Zanu pf and want to take the land away at all costs, or you are MDC-T and you want to see the white farmer back on ‘his’ land. Thats Kak if you ask me.Zimbabwe has become too polarised and at this rate that polarity will ignite into a full scale conflict.
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