adminIn an interview, he said because of funding challenges, farmers were not well prepared for the 2011/12 farming season.
“There is no money to buy all the necessary inputs as financial institutions are demanding collateral security which the farmers do not have.
“Zimbabwe at the moment has terrible credit facilities and policies as they are so expensive for many people,” Mr Taffs said.
He said this was in turn leading to lack of competition in the region as local products tend to be exorbitant hence the country cannot export and at the same time lose local market to imports.
“At the moment, imported food is flooding the local markets because the country is failing to produce enough to feed the local people, mainly due to unaffordability of inputs.
“Crops like maize were supposed to be in the ground by November but farmers are finding it hard because they would be struggling to put implements together hence they had to do it late.”
A survey by Business Chronicle showed that the prices of inputs had risen by a dollar to two dollars compared with last year’s prices.
This in turn is resulting in some farmers opting to do without essentials such as fertiliser hence this will affect the output levels.
Mr Taffs said Zimbabwe had the capacity to produce for the region if agriculture in the country was fully supported as all the resources needed for agriculture were available.
He said: “Zimbabwe has got good soils, water and a conducive environment for agriculture but we should stop relying on other people and do our own thing.
“We used to be the bread basket of Africa and I am sure we are still able to feed our people and the region at large. Why should we depend every year on other people when we can make our own food?”
He said livestock production was also destroyed to the extent that the country is importing beef from Botswana.
“The whole thing is crazy as there is serious need to restructure and restore commercial value to local agriculture so that we can be competitive in the international markets like we used to be.”
The CFU president called on the various stakeholders to support agriculture which is the backbone of any growing economy as many industries depend upon it.
Mr Taffs said the other sector of agriculture that needed to be looked at was the hunting sector which is currently affected by high rates of poaching.
“There is great concern over the issue of conservancies because experience has shown that once conservancies are taken over by people with no experience of or interest in the wildlife industry, poaching increases rapidly.
“The dramatic up-scaling of poaching is decimating the wildlife. The invaders hunt with half-starved dogs or trap the game with snares, causing terrible pain and inflicting lingering deaths.”
He said the animals that are most targeted are the rhinos and elephants due to the demand for the horn or ivory.
“There is need to fully support agriculture to ensure food sustenance in the country as well as growth of the economy,” he said.
Online Reporter