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Victor Maphosa Mash East Bureau
AS demand for grain storage grows due to increased yields, the Government has set in motion plans to construct eight silos in strategic parts of the country to boost the country’s grain holding capacity and adequately prepare for fall-backs in light of climate change.
Addressing farmers during his tour of Pfumvudza and commercial farms to assess planting preparedness across Mashonaland East on Tuesday, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Dr Anxious Masuka said the Government wanted to store 1.5 million tonnes of physical grain reserves.
“We are doing mechanisation changes at the Grain Marketing Board,” he said. “We want to review the strategic grain reserve. We have silos which reserve enough for one season. So now the Social Welfare department at peak will require up to 55 000 tonnes a month. Should we have a bad year it means we can only go for one season.
“So, now we want to establish 1,5 million tonnes of a strategic physical grain reserve. We are expanding the silo network for GMB. We are building eight new silo sites.
“One of the biggest problems has been us importing wheat. We are now self-sufficient on wheat, but there have always been bottlenecks moving from a summer crop to a winter crop, so we are now putting major depots in the wheat growing areas with static dryers that are able to take more grain.”
Dr Masuka took the opportunity to advise those who benefited during land redistribution to fully use the land or risk losing out.
“Land reform is irreversible. What we are now focused on is increasing production and productivity. I have no appetite as the Minister responsible for land, of taking back land from those I have given and give to others. We have distributed 99,99 percent of land and we have now set a criteria of taking land to redistribute to needy Zimbabweans,” he said.
“We have four criteria: the first is that if you have multiple farms, the law says one family one farm. So if you are aware of someone who has multiple farms, be they central committee members, Politburo members or Ministers, let me know so that I can give to some needy Zimbabweans.
“Then there are those given farms and abandoned them. We will take those farms and give to needy Zimbabweans
“Then there is an aspect of under-used farms. If we gave you a farm of 50ha and you are doing 1ha, so we would probably think when you have a capacity you will be able to do 5ha, so we will take 45ha.
“Then we have derelict farms, where someone is given a farm with all the infrastructure and then starts taking or selling that infrastructure. Then we will say you are not a proper candidate for this long-term agriculture.”
Dr Masuka said any farm above the maximum farm size for the region will not be taken as long as the farm is productive.
“Anyone who tells you that we are downsizing a farm on account of it being above the maximum farm size is wrong,” he said. “The policy directive is that, as long as that farm is productive, even if it is 10 000 ha, we will leave it, so that whoever is there should continue to produce.”
Correcting colonial land imbalances Zimbabwe at the turn of the millennium restored land to its people, in a revolution that has ultimately led to increased production and productivity.
Online Reporter