Power Cuts Affect Tobacco Planting

Power Cuts Affect Tobacco Planting Tabitha Mutenga 1 Oct 2015 The country is generating 984MW against daily demand of 2 000MW POOR planning continues to undermine productivity in the agricultural sector, and the current country-wide power cuts have exacerbated the situation, negatively affecting transplanting of the 2015/2016 tobacco crop.Tobacco farmers who plant the irrigated crop from …

Tetrad Holdings Loses Property Battle

Tetrad Holdings Loses Property Battle 1 Oct 2015 Tetrad Holdings loses property battle EFFORTS by embattled Tetrad Holdings to stop the sale of 10 immovable properties that were surrendered by the financial services group’s backers as collateral for a US$5 million loan from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) hit a brick wall after the …

Zim Food Insecurity Remains A Challenge

Zim Food Insecurity Remains A Challenge Tabitha Mutenga 1 Oct 2015 Minister of Agriculture Joseph Made ZIMBABWE is unlikely to achieve food security in the near future due to several challenges, which include erratic rainfall, poor funding, low producer prices and continued farm disruptions.These factors are expected to continue wreaking havoc in the coming agricultural season.Yet, …

Local banks to reduce loans to maize farmers

Local banks to reduce loans to maize farmers October 2, 2015 in News In a bid to limit local banks’ exposure to bad loans and defaults in the 2015/2016 agriculture season, financial institutions channeled 60% of the US$933 million pledged to fund agricultural activities to the blossoming tobacco farming, a banking official has said.   Fidelity Mhlanga …

Zesa’s poor planning prompted power cuts

Zesa’s poor planning prompted power cuts October 2, 2015 in News LACK of proper planning and poor management of the Kariba Dam has resulted in the current powercuts as both Zambia’s power utility, Zambia Electricity Supply Company (Zesco) and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, through its subsidiary Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), burst their water usage ceiling by …

Zinatha renews rain predictions

Zinatha renews rain predictions October 2, 2015 Local News Patient Sibanda Chronicle ReporterTHE Zimbabwe Traditional Healers’ Association (Zinatha) has reiterated its claim that Zimbabwe will receive good rains, going against scientific forecasts. Zinatha, a grouping of hundreds of practitioners of African traditional medicine, last Saturday held a rain-making ceremony at a shrine in Bulawayo. Zinatha cultural secretary Enerst Tekere …

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Harness solar, alternative energy sources

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Harness solar, alternative energy sources September 29, 2015 Features, Opinion & Analysis Zimbabwe has been lax for decades to push policies that will significantly cut electricity demand by households and businesses while allowing ever growing standards of living and economic expansion, simply by using technology to make far better use of electricity and making …

Farmers organisations are critical to agriculture

Farmers organisations are critical to agriculture September 30, 2015 Business Sanderson AbelThe coming aboard of various farmer organisations should have been a welcome move but unfortunately it wasn’t because the benefits that arose from these were minimal as the majority of them failed to take aboard the small-holder communal farmers. Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s …