adminLuthando Mapepa
MINISTER of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Dr Douglas Mombeshora, last week said the recently launched farmers’ security of tenure will help boost revenue collection as farmers are now guaranteed of their permanent stay on their land.
Dr Mombeshora said this while addressing farmers at Buzi Tea Estate in Chipinge last Thursday.
He said newly resettled farmers should take advantage of the security of tenure which guarantees their occupation of farms to strengthen land management policy.
He also added that his ministry’s main focus now was not just on resettlement, but on land management and to see to that all those allocated land were paying the required taxes.
“On July 2, President Mugabe launched the land settlement permit to benefit farmers who were allocated land under Model A1. This permit which is valid for an indefinite period will be issued out to all farmers under Model A1 to guarantee their occupation and use of land allocated to them.
“Government would like to see those that have been allocated land contributing to the national fiscus by paying land rentals. The rentals will help capacitate Government to strengthen the land management process,” he said.
Dr Mombeshora said the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement was working on the National Land Policy which would guide in the proper management of land.
“While Government has enabling legislation on the land reform, we need a land policy to be put in place to guide the players and stakeholders in the proper management of the land. The National Land Policy will cover resettlement in the timber, tea, coffee, orchards, sugarcane and banana plantations. In this policy those who were allocated land on plantations will not be removed,” he added.
“We have stopped further allocations until this policy is in place. In this effort, the ministry will support Government programme of Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).
“The new economic blue print seeks to grow the economy in a sustainable way and for this to happen farmers have to use the land they hold productively,” he added.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Cde Davis Marapira, Chipinge Central legislator, Cde Ray Machingura, Chipinge District Administrator, Mr Edgars Seenza and other heads of Government departments in Chipinge.
Online Reporter