Farm unions disagree over crop shortages
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Written by Staff Reporter
Wednesday, 06 October 2010 17:30
HARARE – Forecasts that homegrown crops will not be enough to feed the
country have led to conflicting opinions from the country’s two farmers’
unions over Zimbabwe’s need for food imports. Since 2000, Zimbabwe has
become increasingly reliant on food aid, a situation the Commercial Farmers
Union (CFU), largely attributes to the controversial Zanu (PF) land “reform”
programme, under which 4,000 mainly white commercial farmers were evicted
from their land.
The redistribution of land, mainly to political cronies who have no interest
in farming, was the catalyst for the 10-year recession and for turning
Zimbabwe into a food importer unable to feed its own people.
CFU President, Deon Theron, said the country would have to import 800,000
tonnes to meet national demand.
“Maize is being imported at between US$160 and US$180 per tonne,” Theron
said. Around US$136 million would be needed to meet the deficit.
On the other hand, the ZCFU, which represents mainly black farmers, claims
drought and lack of inputs such as fertiliser and seed are the main reasons
for crop shortages.
Addressing delegates at the ZCFU annual congress last week, the union’s
president, William Nyabonda, said the final maize and small grains estimate
for the 2009/2010 season was 1.5 million tonnes, with maize contributing 1.2
million tonnes.
“It is also estimated that approximately 300,000 metric tonnes were carried
over from last season due to lack of reliable markets,” Nyabonda said.
He said most analysts believed there was no real need for grain imports.
“What is required is to move grain from grain surplus areas to grain deficit
areas and therefore it is essential that the Grain Marketing Board buys this
grain from farmers,” Nyabonda said.
According to the minister of finance, Tendai Biti and the minister of
agriculture, Joseph Made, Zimbabwe is expected to harvest between 1.3 and
1.4 million tonnes of maize – an increase of around three per cent on last
year. The country, however, needs 2.2 million tonnes of maize every year.
The United Nations last month said Zimbabwe’s maize production had risen by
100,000 tonnes this year. Jacopo D’Amelio, a regional information
co-ordinator with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, said: “There is
also a feeling that the food security situation is improving from what it
was in 2008, when the country had probably its worst output.”
This year’s national wheat target was set at 60,000 hectares but farmers
planted only 11,000 hectares. Theron said Zimbabwe needed to import wheat
worth over US$128.8 million to meet an expected shortfall of 339,000 tonnes,
which could cripple operations.
Farmers, hamstrung by lack of capital, high costs of inputs and continued
land ownership wrangles, expected to produce 11,000 tonnes of winter wheat
planted on 3,100 hectares this year.
This was against a national annual demand of 350,000 tonnes, said Deon
Theron.
“We (Zimbabwe) will have to import the wheat at an import price of US$380
per tonne and this translates to US$128,820.000, given our shortfall,” said
Theron.
Farmers who spoke to The Zimbabwean last week said there was a mistaken
belief that enough maize had been produced because of better than average
rains.
Biti said agricultural production was expected to have grown this year by
18.8 per cent, compared to 14.9 per cent in 2009. This was mainly driven by
tobacco, up to about 119 million kilos from 55.6 million kilos.
“Horticulture production in 2010 is projected to register growth, rising to
43,000 tonnes against last year’s 35,000 tonnes. There is still much more
investment to be undertaken before production levels rise to levels above
60,000 tonnes experienced previously,” Biti said.
He said depressed prices and financing constraints in 2009 undermined cotton
production, which decreased from 246,000 tonnes in 2009 to 172,000 tonnes in
2010. Sugar production during 2010 was also projected to decline below last
year’s levels.
Relief agencies say combined donor support to small farmers accounted for up
to 20 per cent of Zimbabwe’s maize output in the 2009/10 season.
The US Agency for International Development’s famine early warning cautioned
in a recent report that Zimbabwe’s dry regions would need food towards the
end of this year.