A2 farms to be downsized

GOVERNMENT will this week embark on a farm downsizing exercise mainly targeting A2 farmers who benefited from the land reform programme and whose farms exceed recommended farm sizes, in an exercise expected to free up idle land for redistribution to the landless, this paper can reveal.

Confirming the development, Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the recommended maximum farm sizes vary across the country’s five natural (agro-ecological) regions. The recommended farm sizes range between 250 hectares in region one to 500 hectares in region five.

Region one is suitable for dairy farming, forestry, tea, coffee, fruit, beef and maize production while region five is mainly good for extensive cattle ranching.

In an interview on national television to mark his 91st birthday in February, President Mugabe said a number of new farmers were failing to fully utilise their farms as they were too large.

“I think the farms we gave to people are too large. They can’t manage them. You find that most of them are just using one third of the land,” he said.

In an interview with Sunday News, Midlands provincial lands officer Mr Joseph Shoko said the province had already commenced the downsizing of the farms and they had already engaged the owners of the farms that have been earmarked for downsizing.

Mr Shoko said Government would repossess excess land and redistribute it to other land-seekers in the province.

Impeccable sources revealed to Sunday News that some of the farms earmarked for downsizing in the Midlands Province belonged to senior Government and Zanu-PF party officials.

“The recommended maximum farm size in the province is 500ha. Anyone whose farm is above that will have to surrender a portion of the land to Government for redistribution.

“We conducted the farm inspections identifying farms whose sizes exceeded the maximum recommended sizes as well as assessing land utilisation.

“We then engaged the owners of the farms and we did not face any resistance from farm owners.

“We have already started downsizing the farms,” said Mr Shoko.

In a separate interview, Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Dr Douglas Mombeshora said in other provinces, Government had commenced farm to farm inspections assessing farm sizes as well as land utilisation to pave way for downsizing.

Minister Mombeshora said the process was almost similar to A land audit but less intensive.

He said Government would be inspecting farm sizes and land utilisation, a process which he said would pave way for the downsizing of farms and an intensive land audit.

Minister Mombeshora said his ministry was targeting 40 farms in Mashonaland East last week before rolling out the programme to all other provinces across the country.

He said the farm to farm inspection would be followed by downsizing of farms in other provinces as well as the land audit.

“We have started farm to farm inspections and we will start in Mashonaland East where are going to visit 40 farms next week. We are inspecting the farm sizes and land utilisation. This process will enable us to identify farms that need to be downsized and redistributed,” he said.

Minister Mombeshora said Government would repossess part of the land of the farms whose sizes exceed the recommended maximum farm sizes.

“We want to make it a policy that we are no longer going to offer or issue out offer letters to farm or plot holders whose land exceeds the recommended size approved by Government corresponding with regions. For those with offer letters and their land is above the recommended maximum farm size, we are going to visit them and downsize to the stipulated size or even less depending on the utilisation of land and activities taking place at the farm,” he said.

Minister Mombeshora said the recently approved land rentals and unit tax would fund the land audit.

“Work has started, unfortunately there are limitations of resources. That is why we have introduced land rentals so that part of the money will go towards funding the land audit,” he said.

“The farm rental will be uniform for A1 farmers who will pay $10 land rental per year for the local Government and $5 per year as unit tax. A2 farmers will pay $2 per ha per year as unit tax and $3 per ha per year as land rentals which will be collected by Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement.”

Minister Mombeshora said the farm rentals and the downsizing process would ensure maximum utilisation of land by the land reform beneficiaries that will also help the country achieve its objective to ensure food security at household level as partial fulfillment of Zim Asset.

Government was targeting to repossess 80 000 hectares of land in Midlands Province that will be redistributed to other land seekers.

Midlands has over 15 000 illegal settlers.

Minister Mombeshora said Government had spent over $1 million in litigation on the land reform programme after being sued for over $500 million by a clique of unrepentant Rhodesians.