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Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
A2 commercial farmers in Mashonaland West and Central provinces want banks to accept Government guarantees after the drought losses last season instead of demanding collateral for farming loans in the coming season.
Some banks (names supplied) are reportedly seeking further collateral from farmers who are failing to meet their 2023-2024 loan obligations due to the El-Nino-induced drought.
This raises a risk of at least 40 000 hectares in the two provinces lying idle during the next summer cropping season.
Speaking on Wednesday in Chinhoyi at a meeting to discuss the provincial plan for Mashonaland West 2024-2025 summer cropping season, the farmers asked the Government to come to their rescue so that they contribute to the national grain target.
Provincial and district heads of Government departments and parastatals and farmers attended the meeting. A farmer from Zvimba, Mr Wilson Nyambonda, said stringent measures introduced by the banks were going to disadvantage most farmers.
“We are now requested to provide security to access inputs and farming loans. The banks say the Government guarantees we used before are no longer accepted. No pronouncement was made to protect farmers who lost their crops to the ravaging El Nino phenomenon,” he said.
The farmers presented a document that explained in detail how the El Nino-induced drought had impacted food crop farmers in Zimbabwe to Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Marian Chombo who chaired the meeting.
They said although the decision by banks affected farmers across the country, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central had the highest figures.
“The figure which is outstanding to farmers is just under US$40 million and ZiG10,7 million across all the banks. If nothing is done from the Government side to address the issue, these two provinces are going to lose 40 000 hectares of land earmarked for grain including maize considering that we are the breadbasket of Zimbabwe,” said Mr Nyambonda.
Mashonaland West produces almost 55 percent of Zimbabwe’s national grain. It has set a target of 360 000 hectares to be put under maize this coming summer cropping season and the 40 000 hectares that the two provinces are likely to miss, amount to an average of 200 000 tonnes of maize.
Another farmer and Zanu PF provincial War Veterans League chairman Cde Happison Muchechetere told the same gathering that commercial farmers needed Government to intervene.
In her response, Minister Chombo said that while the Government was eager to help the affected farmers, preference was going to be given to those who had been paying their previous loans religiously.
“The President is aware of the challenges that the farmers face. He declared last season a state of disaster and the Government was going to do whatever it can to help those that were affected but preference will be rendered to those that have been honouring their loans in the past,” she said.
With the La Nina phenomenon predicted the provincial summer season production plan focuses on food and feed crops, oilseeds and industrial crops, for both local consumption and export with a target to increase production of cereals to over 3,2 million tonnes.
Online Reporter