Lack of funds hampers DDF

security for the nation all seasons.
Midlands District Development Fund (DDF) provincial co-ordinator, Mr Fredrick Tozvireva, on Wednesday said inadequate funding had negatively affected tillage operations in rural and resettlement areas in the province.
He said the Midlands DDF had targeted to till more than 1 000 hectares for farmers in the province but only managed 600 hectares as a result of poor funding.
He said in most cases, farmers would supply their own fuel.
“To us this is an insignificant achievement given the expanse of the province.
“This is a mediocre performance as it is far from what we wanted to achieve. We assist farmers with ploughing, planting, reaping and discing but we managed to do a few hectares for them due to lack of money,” he said.
He appealed to Government to adequately fund DDF for the forthcoming winter season.
“Given such a scenario, our preparedness for the just started winter season is pathetic.
“We are ill-equipped for the season. We need Government to inject meaningful funds that we can use the implements needed for such a crucial sector which we hope will revive our economy,” he said.
Mr Tozvireva said the eight districts in the province were operating with 25 tractors only out of the required 76.
He said a huge proportion of the equipment the province has had broken down.
“We have got 51 broken down tractors and we have 11 working ploughs when we need about 30 and moreover only one disc harrow out of the needed 20 is working.
“Besides, the whole province has got four planters and two reapers so one can imagine how we will operate under such difficult circumstances.
“What we need is money to revive the machinery which has broken down as we have to buy spare parts for tractors and other implements.
“You will find out that our shortage of drivers to operate the machinery can no longer be seen as a challenge because of the broken down machinery,” he said.
Most farmers, Mr Tozvireva said, were now shunning DDF for other service providers.
“The response we are now getting from farmers is no longer pleasing.
“A lot have left us for other service providers. They turn to people like those farmers who benefited from the RBZ mechanisation programme or other farmers who own their equipment,” he said.
The DDF has for decades played a vital role in setting up basic infrastructure to uplift the living standards of the majority of people in rural and resettlement areas.
DDF’s major function has been to provide people in these areas with key infrastructure and services, construction of roads, schools, clinics, dams, borehole drilling and tillage.