MANICALAND
REPORT TO CONGRESS 2009
“Allow us to apply our trade and we will surely assist in re-building our beloved country’s economy” (quoted from our President). It saddens me to think that my report must be opened up with the most common topic of discussion at the moment, that being the current prosecutions that are being carried out within the province and the country as a whole. Manicaland had its first farmer charged and convicted for wanting to continue farming and, as I write this report, some thirty odd other farmers are being tried for the same reason. This does not change the fact that hundreds of other fellow farmers have been forced off their farms and are spread throughout the world still awaiting some form of compensation. As chairman for Manicaland, my sole reason for wanting to keep this Union’s flag flying is to obtain opportunity – opportunity for a dignified retirement for the elderly who don’t want to go back farming, and opportunity for the younger generation who do want to farm. Council and our leadership have not relented on pursuing the compensation and restitution issues that must be sorted out some day. We continue to pray and maintain our faith that this will come soon, as a number of elderly farmers have already missed this dignity in their passing within this year. May we pray that God be with their families in waiting for this time. One of the largest obstacles that has faced the chairmanship and has been, and continues to be, brought up on the weekly CFU Calling is communication back from farmers. I know it has been trying times, one farmer mentioned that he had been to court on 17 different occasions and was tired of the same lack of direction, besides the exorbitant cost that he has accumulated in legal fees, but we need to keep communication lines open and we need to keep information flowing in order for CFU leadership to keep in line with current obstacles of farming and keep abreast of various problems. Onto the positives, the growing season for the few farmers that have managed to farm was one of the best with record yields and quality being received from a number of different crops. The silage pits are full once more and milk has started to flow again, the dairy farmers are beginning to feel the positive effects of dollarisation, but we still have a long way to go with the build-up of milk yields that should be achieved. Tobacco has brought huge relief to a few growers and yields and prices are fairly good. Rapid over-capitalization is of huge concern and loan repayments are going to be difficult in some cases, however experience will soon bring checks and balances back into place. With the lack of any form of competitive financing from the banking institutions the cattle farmers have had to use their produce to self-finance their operations. With the effect of cattle prices aligning themselves to regional prices, and the fact that our interest rates are higher than regionally, it is having a negative influence on the National herd and has a huge influence on the stud breeders. In comparison to last season, the maize crop that has been produced this season has been increased, improving the theft situation on the farms, however we are still way off target for full production to meet national requirements, and soon imported maize traders will be back in business. Coffee production is almost non-existent, and horticulture, and fruit production is of very little significance. All the expertise in these fields is being wasted due to a certain element of greed that has prevailed over the last decade, not only within our province, but also nationally. With the dollarisation, and a tighter monitoring of the Reserve Bank the “dishing-out” of materials and equipment has ceased, and it will now be very interesting to see how many of the “new” farmers will be falling like rotten fruit out of the trees. Whoever said farming was easy? In closing, one wonders why farming, or Zimbabwe farmers, were so successful in all their various fields of production. It was certainly not due to their good looks, or the extension of their bellies, no was it their ability to communicate with their labour, and different generations would have varying opinions, however, the fundamental issue, above all others, was standing together. It saddens me to see farmers of varying ages sitting on the fence throwing derogatory statements at organizations such as the CFU, JAG, SAGFA, and others, when all of these have a vital part to play, not only in the future of agriculture, but also in settling wrongs that have been done in the past. This makes you think of the old saying that “you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”, but in the end due to the survival factor it has to drink. I do not believe for one minute that commercial agriculture will ever be like it was, but before corporate organizations wangle their way into taking over our businesses, let’s climb off the fence and stand for a purpose!
Ray Finaughty(Chairman)16 July 2009