Farmer Slams Land Reform Beneficiaries

MUTARE - A leading black commercial farmer has berated newly-settled farmers for wasting vast tracts of land they acquired during the controversial land reform programme in 2000.

Wilson Nyabonda, president of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU), said the new breed of farmers were not utilising their land productively for the benefit of the country. Instead the land they acquired during the land "reform" programme was now derelict.

Nyabonda told new farmers in Odzi, near Mutare at a farmers' fundraising dinner at Odzi Country Club, that he was very disappointed by the failure of the majority of new farmers to properly utilise the farms they got after the unceremonious and often violent eviction of white commercial farmers by government supporters.

"After touring farms here in Odzi, I got very disappointed because there is no production," Nyabonda said. "Our people are not doing anything at the farms. Something must be done because we can not allow things to continue like this."

Before attending the dinner held last week, Nyabonda, also vice-chairman of Tanaka Power, a major producer of agricultural equipment in Zimbabwe, toured several farms in the Odzi area, a bastion of commercial farming activity before the farm evictions in 2000.

Nyabonda said he was surprised to realise that most of the farms that were productive before they were allocated to his black compatriots, were now derelict.

"The government should repossess farms that are being under-utilised because we want people who produce for the good of the country," Nyabonda said.

Nyabonda spoke as concerns over the failure by resettled black farmers to adequately farm for the nation are reaching a crescendo.
During the just ended Manicaland Agriculutural Show held in Mutare, several residents here complained about the absence of agricultural produce at the annual agricultural showcase.

Since 2000 there has not been any meaningful agricultural produce on display at the show. Livestock and chickens were also not on display.

The absence of agricultural produce at the show was blamed on little output from commercial farms, most of which are now owned by newly settled farmers.

Most of the new farmers are ruling party politicians and their supporters.

Since the land reform programme, Zimbabwe has faced serious food shortages. Several people have died in western parts of the country, due to malnutrition according to aid workers.

But the Zimbabwe government officials have remained defiant - blaming successive droughts for lack of production at the farms.