’Banks reaping where they did not sow’

auction floors by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Lands, Water, Irrigation and Resettlement.
Mr Matonga said he was concerned that several banks operating at the auction floors were not willing to fund agriculture.
“Banks are making profits from the agriculture industry. We have seen the sprouting of banks but surprisingly they are not funding agriculture.
“We heard that the banks are making US$300 000 a month, an amount that other branches that are operating in the central business district are not realising,” he said.
Mr Matonga said these banks were charging high interest rates, which they were not ploughing back into the agriculture industry.
“We are going to meet with the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe so that we see how they can come up with mechanisms to fund agriculture. We cannot have a situation whereby banks come to reap what they did not sow,” he said.
Most tobacco growers, he said, were small-scale and therefore did not require huge amounts of money for their farming projects.
Tobacco growers have always complained over the absence of input schemes and funding programmes for tobacco production.
This has resulted in many of the growers opting for contract growing where they are supplied with seed, fertilisers and chemicals.
The farmers, however, complained that the contractors rip them off as the inputs are pegged at exorbitant prices.
The parliamentary committee toured all tobacco auction floors, namely Boka Tobacco Floors, Millennium Tobacco Floors, Tobacco Sales Floor and Premier Tobacco Floor.
The delegation included the following Members of Parliament: Sarah Mahoka (Hurungwe East), Edward Raradza (Muzarabani South),  Meki Makuyana (Chipinge South), Vharandeni Jani (Bikita South), Piniel Denga (Mbare), Orders Mlilo (Gwanda South) and Patrick Dube (Gwanda Central) .
The chairman of the committee, Mr Joseph Jiri, said the tour was meant to ascertain if the auction floors were adhering to the standards set by the portfolio committee last year. 
“Last year farmers had problems with marketing their crop and they did not have decent accommodation.
“We have seen that all the floors have improved their service delivery and farmers now have adequate health facilities including clinics and canteens,” he said.
Mr Jiri said he was impressed by the state of things at the auction floors.
He, however, noted that some auction floors still needed to improve their toilets and bathing rooms among other things.
Tobacco growers at the auction floors said they were happy with the provision of up to standard services and the improvement in prices.
Most of the farmers said the prices being offered at the auction floors would see them going back to the land without any difficulties.
Tobacco has become one of the favourable crops to farmers as maize and cotton growers still face challenges marketing their produce.
Cotton growers complain of unfair treatment by contractors while most maize growers have to wait several months for their money from the Grain Marketing Board.
Zimbabwe is slowly regaining its status as one of the world’s major tobacco producers.