adminETHANOL-PRODUCING concern Green Fuel handed over bags of fertiliser to small-scale farmers in Chinyamukwakwa Village in Chipinge South constituency, amid calls by villagers for speedy implementation of promises made by the company upon the inception of the project.
Although the company only distributed about 40 bags last Saturday, Green Fuel Agriculture Development and Small-Scale manager, Mr Lovemore Chikwamure, said 70,5 tonnes were secured for the 175 farmers and would be distributed soon.
The 175 small-scale farmers, who were allocated half a hectare of irrigated land each, access the fertiliser at a subsidised price of us$36 for two bags.
In an interview on the sidelines of the distribution exercise last Saturday, Mr ChikwaMure, said the fertiliser was being given to those who paid up their seed maize loan.
“Today we are distributing fertiliser to some of the 175 small-scale farmers out of 260. We gave them seed maize at a subsidised price and asked each farmer to repay three buckets of maize or us$15. The 175 farmers are the ones who managed to repay. Therefore we are giving fertiliser to those that managed to repay simply because we do not want to create a dependency syndrome,” he said.
Mr Chikwamure said relations with the surrounding community were improving with time. “I am sure everyone is aware that this project started at the height of political tension in the country and there was bound to be battle for political mileage through the project.
“At the end of the day, it is the villagers who were used either to support or rebel against the project. However, we are happy to note that the relationship with the surrounding community has vastly improved,” Mr Chikwamure said.
He added that they had since completed allocation of half-a-hectare irrigated land to 264 households in Chinyamukwakwa area, leaving a reminder of 80 in the same area. Land to allocate the remaining 80 is now at an advanced stage of preparation.
Mr Chikwamure said about 144 small-scale farmers had also accessed their half-a-hectare pieces of irrigated land in the Chisumbanje area, but another 800 still need to be allocated land in the same area.
However, some of the recipients of the two bags of fertiliser disbursed last Saturday interviewed by this newspaper bitterly complained about Green Fuel’s failure to fulfil some of the promises they made when the project was established.
Susan Chibesa said life had become very difficult for her family since they lost their land to Green Fuel.
“We used to have 25 hectares of farming land. Life was good for us since we could manage to buy our groceries. We could send our children to school. We managed to build a house and buy our own tractor during that period.
“We now have half a hectare and we can hardly make ends meet. Our children are no longer going to school. To be honest, we have not seen any benefit of having this project here.
“The most painful thing is that we are now left to clear the land while people from faraway places were employed at the mill. For lack of a better description, this project has been a liability to the people here,” she fumed.
Brown Simango called on Green Fuel to expedite the provision of two hectares sugarcane out-growers’ scheme.
“It is sad that we were promised that we would get two hectares each as sugarcane out-growers, but up until now we have not been given anything. We hope and pray that one day they will fulfil the promises that they made when they established this project here,” he said.
Online Reporter