Farmers keen on title deeds

Professor Obert Jiri

Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter

OVER 5 000 farmers have shown interest in acquiring title deeds which are part of the Government’s initiative to provide security of tenure to Land Reform Programme beneficiaries.

Currently, more than 100 title deeds are being processed, indicating a positive shift in land ownership security.

Professor Obert Jiri, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, said the title deeds programme was gaining momentum, with an increasing number of farmers participating.

“The programme is taking shape and is accelerating. What we have done over the past few weeks is to ensure farmers have access to the data form that every farmer must fill in. This data form is available on WhatsApp numbers, through our land officers, and Agritex officers.”

To enhance accessibility, the Government has decentralised the one-stop centre for title deed issuance, facilitating greater participation in the initiative. The initiative is also focusing on organised farms, particularly sugarcane farmers in Chiredzi, to ensure they obtain their titles.

“We will be sending teams to those places,” Professor Jiri added, underlining the Government’s proactive approach to land security. Historically, farmers armed with offer letters and 99-year leases struggled to get loans from banks, which often dismissed these documents as insufficient. Now the masterstroke is these title deeds which are now transferable and bankable. In essence, they are now acceptable as collateral in all banks.”