adminFrom George Maponga in Masvingo
Government has hailed plans by the Commercial Sugarcane Farmers Association of Zimbabwe to apply for nearly 90 hectares of land to develop houses for hundreds of resettled model A2 farmers in Chiredzi, most of whom are not domiciled in the sugar growing town.
The development comes after Chiredzi Rural District Council recently expressed disquiet over a request to Government by the association, which is the biggest cane farmers’ association in the Lowveld, for underutilised land around the Buffalo Range area to develop houses for cane farmers.
Chiredzi RDC chair Councillor Edward Matsilele recently urged Government to turn down the application for land by the association saying this would prompt the emergence of land barons in the Lowveld.
Councillor Matsilele further argued that there were big tracts of housing land without takers in Chiredzi, which cane farmers could take up.
Agriculture Lands and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Cde Davis Marapira yesterday defended the move by the association to request for land to accommodate its members.
Cde Marapira said Government was concerned by the high number of absentee farmers who were staying far away from their farms in the Lowveld.
“As Government we fully support what the CSFAZ has done to request for housing land for hundreds of its members, this is a very good initiative and we will give the request the attention it deserves because we support the noble move,” he said.
“Many cane farmers in the Lowveld stay in major cities such as Harare and Bulawayo because they do not have accommodation in Chiredzi so what CSFAZ has done is a move in the right direction as farmers will have an opportunity to stay close to their operations,” he said.
The Deputy Minister said Government wanted farmers to stay close to their farms to monitor production, which has been on the decline at some farms where the owners are monitoring operations via the cellphone.
“In actual fact, we are trying to push forward a proposal that model A2 farmers who benefited from the land reform programme must either be staying at their farms or employ a professional manager to run their operations for them to retain title of their land,” he said.
Deputy Minister Marapira said the proposal was motivated by the need to stem falling yields at most farms as most of the beneficiaries hardly spare time to manage their operations.
Cde Marapira also took a swipe at cane farmers’ associations in the Lowveld for lacking unity of purpose and dabbling in petty fights to the detriment of development.
“There is a worrying problem among farmers because they cannot appreciate when one of their own does something good.
“The request for land by CSFAZ should not be politicised, farmers should look at the merits of the deal not the identity of the person behind it,” he said.
He paid tribute to CSFAZ chair Captain Admore Hwarare (Retired) and his association for conceiving the idea to have land set aside specifically for housing development in the Lowveld.
Rtd Captain Hwarare said his association had identified a partner willing to construct modern houses for cane farmers in Chiredzi with the beneficiaries paying for the houses over a period of up to 30 years.
Online Reporter