marble nkomo
President Mnangagwa has deliberately eased the path for farmers by approving a 60 percent discount on land valuations. The move is designed to leave headroom for borrowing, enabling farmers to raise capital for infrastructure and productivity improvements.
The framework pays particular attention to those who fought for the land in the first place. War veterans benefit from an additional 15 percent discount, with the first six hectares valued at just US$10 per hectare. Long-serving government employees are also recognised, qualifying for further discounts ranging between 2,5 percent and 5 percent.
The economic ripple effect of the programme is expected to be substantial. Over the next 20 years, Government anticipates generating close to US$16 billion from land payments. These funds will be channelled through a tightly managed escrow account, ensuring transparency and strategic deployment.
Of the total, 22,5 percent will be set aside for compensation of former commercial farmers, as prescribed by law. The balance will be directed towards reducing sovereign debt, upgrading infrastructure, funding agricultural loans and supporting war veterans and traditional leaders.
Beyond ownership, the Land Tenure Implementation Committee is equally focused on ensuring productivity. To that end, it is rolling out a comprehensive booster kit facility for A1 farmers. The package includes boreholes, irrigation infrastructure covering two to four hectares, starter inputs and on-farm structures — all financed over a period of seven to ten years.
Crucially, farmers will also be covered by drought and fire insurance, a safety net that allows them to focus on farming rather than disaster contingency.
To illustrate what is possible, the committee has already developed models showing how farmers in provinces such as Mashonaland and Manicaland can profitably cultivate high-value crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions, maize and wheat, achieving viable yields and consistent margins.
Looking ahead, the ambition is bold. Within the next decade, the programme envisions 360,000 hectares of A1 land under irrigation. At full scale, optimal use of the 10,8 million hectares acquired by Government is projected to drive the national GDP towards US$258 billion by 2050.
Speaking at the recent Zim CEOs Policy Roundtable in Victoria Falls, the committee’s chairman, Mr Kudakwashe Tagwirei, painted a picture of a reform agenda already in motion, one firmly anchored in the Second Republic’s vision of translating land ownership into measurable national wealth. The objective, he said, is to unlock the full economic value of land acquired through the Land Reform Programme and finally allow it to work for those on it and the country at large.
“The President, in his wisdom, realised all these challenges that we are facing. He said, ‘What is the best solution?’ Let us just give these people a title to solve this problem,” Mr Tagwirei said.
At the Victoria Falls engagement, Mr Tagwirei was flanked by senior figures whose presence underscored the reform’s historical and technical weight — war veteran Cde Happison Muchechetere, a former provincial commander during the liberation struggle, and respected land policy authority Professor Mandivamba Rukuni.
“The real essence of the war was to reclaim the land,” said Mr Tagwirei.
Online Reporter