adminFertiliser shortage hits Zim
AN acute shortage of top dressing fertiliser (Ammonium Nitrate) has hit the market, threatening crop yield.
The fertiliser is only available on the informal market where it is being sold at prohibitive prices.
Early this month, Government turned down an appeal by fertiliser producers who sought to export the commodity, saying domestic demand had to be met first.
Spokesperson for the fertiliser industry, who is also Chemplex Corporation chief executive, Mr Misheck Kachere, last Friday said operational challenges had affected production.
“It is true that there is a shortage of AN fertiliser on the market at the moment and it is due to the liquidity challenges in the economy.
“We cannot buy raw materials and pay utility bills, especially to Zesa,” he said.
“In the past three months we lost about 15 000 tonnes of production due to disruptions.” Mr Kachere said between four and five thousand tonnes of fertiliser were on the market.
He said firms were trying to mitigate shortages by importing the commodity although financial constraints sometimes forced them to cancel orders.
Staff shortages hit border post
Herald Reporter
OPERATIONS at the Chirundu One Stop Border Post are being hampered by shortage of staff accommodation and provision of other basic services, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion heard last Friday.
Veteran journalist Bwititi dies
Herald Reporter
FORMER Chronicle, Manica Post and Southern Times editor Makuwerere Bwititi has died. He was 46. A family spokesperson said Bwititi, who was now one of the editorial managers of the New Era in Namibia, succumbed to renal failure yesterday
93 000 families in need of food relief
From George Maponga in Masvingo
OVER 93 000 households are in urgent need of food in Masvingo, prompting the Government to revive drought relief committees to spearhead the movement of grain to villagers. Government has already re-activated the grain loan scheme where
Internal squabbles crack Upfumi Kuvadiki
Municipal Reporter
YOUTH empowerment pressure group Upfumi Kuvadiki has been rocked by internal squabbles. The divisions have been sparked by reports that dismissed spokesperson, Mr Alson Darikayi, is claiming to be the organisation’s leader. Mr Darikayi is also accused
Asiagate: Ethics committee to question people
Sports Reporter
THE process of finalising the Asiagate scandal is expected to move a gear up in mid-February with the Zifa Ethics Committee set to bring key people in for questioning. On Friday, the Zifa board met in the capital and received a report from
Cote d’Ivoire march into quarters
Libreville — Cote d’Ivoire’s quest for a second Africa Cup of Nations 20 years after their lone title received a boost on Thursday when Didier Drogba’s Elephants marched into the quarter-finals.
Skipper Drogba and company faced Burkina Faso in Franceville having scraped a 1-0 win in their opening game against Sudan last Sunday.
Tunisian journalists banned by Caf
Tunisian journalists banned by Caf
Two Tunisian photojournalists have been suspended by Caf for three years after they were found guilty on Thursday of violating stipulated regulations of their accreditations to cover the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bulawayo houses condemned . . . More than 1 000 deemed dangerous to occupants
By Temba Dube
ZESA Holdings has condemned more than 1 000 houses in Bulawayo for “dangerous” wiring that could lead to fires that damage household property, and electrocution.
The power utility immediately disconnected electricity to more than 200 of the houses because it considered them extremely dangerous to occupants.
The development comes amid revelations that residents lose thousands of dollars worth of property in the city every year due to fires that are caused by faulty wiring and installations at their homes.
An insurance broker in the city yesterday said in a majority of cases where such fires destroy property, homeowners fail to get compensation from insurance companies because they were considered to have been negligent by not ensuring that the electric wiring in their houses was up to standard.
Residents, mostly from the eastern suburbs, yesterday said the power utility had served them with notices to completely re-wire their houses.
Mujuru family requests court to call in SA forensic expert
Harare Bureau
THE Mujuru family has asked the court to call in a South African forensic expert to question the local pathologist who examined the body of the late General Solomon Mujuru.
The family said if questions arise, they might apply for the exhumation of the body of the late national hero to have the South African expert carry out another examination.