Melody Mashaire, Harare Bureau
Government should subsidise farmers in order to ensure food security in the country, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Mashonaland Central, Advocate Martin Dinha has said.
Addressing farmers at a Tobacco Stalk Destruction field day held in Mvurwi yesterday, Advocate Dinha said subsides are the order of day for all countries.
“We’re being told of unorthodox economics that we can’t subsidise the farmers yet everywhere in the world, farmers are paid to produce.
‘‘In Europe the dairy farmer is paid to produce milk, the wheat farmer in Russia is paid to produce wheat which we’re now importing.
“So subsides are the order of the day for all countries because food security is a national security matter.
‘‘Any government worth its salt will ensure that there is optimum production.
‘‘This is important so that we protect national security interests.
‘‘How can a farmer who was recently resettled be expected to stand alone,” he said.
Advocate Dinha said Government should enhance production as it has a multiplier effect in the value chain.
“The white farmers had a vehicle which supported agriculture known as the Agricultural Finance Corporation.
“We have Agribank which isn’t giving any support to farmers. That’s weird economics.
“What’s also worrying is that Government’s marketing agencies such as the Grain Marketing Board do not pay farmers on time and are sometimes behind by a whole season yet maize is a strategic grain reserve.
“We know that the country is facing shortages in terms of foreign currency but we don’t understand when you don’t want to pay the local farmer but pay the farmer in Zambia, South Africa or Malawi on time.
“What type of economics is that? If we’re importing maize from Zambia we’re promoting the Zambian farmer so instead of allocating resources for financing importing maize from Zambia why can’t we pay the Zimbabwean farmer?
‘‘Rather than enhancing production locally which opens up a whole multiplier effect in terms of the agriculture value chain,” he said.
He added that wheat production had dwindled because of lack of support for farmers. “We’ve heard that there’s funding for wheat farmers which never came through, why do we announce things that don’t happen.
“Now we’ve less than 3,000 hectares of wheat from 18,000 two years ago. Some farmers had prepared their land but couldn’t access finance for production. Yet somebody lied to the nation and said there was a facility which wasn’t there.
“Why do you announce things that aren’t there?”