Don’t blame it on the weather: CFU
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union has blamed the country’s ill-advised
policies for the acute food shortages that have reduced Zimbabwe to a basket
case, with about 1,6 million rural people being reported to be in need of
food aid this season.
01.08.1212:45pm
by Edgar Gweshe
The President of the CFU, Charles Taffs, told The Zimbabwean that the lack
of clear cut policies on agriculture and the chaotic acquisition of
properties over the past 12 years had led to a reduction in agricultural
productivity thereby contributing significantly to the nation’s food
shortages.
He dismissed as “absolute nonsense” claims that drought was the major
contributing factor to the acute food shortages Zimbabwe is facing, saying
it was an attempt by those behind the destruction of the agricultural sector
to cover up for their destructive policies.
He also said government’s failure to distribute inputs in time to resettled
farmers had resulted in the country failing to produce enough food for the
people. The lack of farming expertise among resettled farmers, he said, had
worsened the situation.
“There is no drought here. It’s bad planning. The country does not have an
agricultural policy. These are the real issues and it really infuriates me
when they say there is a drought.
‘‘For the last 12 years, we haven’t been feeding ourselves and the problem
is that we are growing maize where it is not suitable to do so -70 percent
of the crop is not being grown where it should be grown and what’s the point
of distributing inputs in December? We need to stop making excuses now and
stop blaming others for the problems the county is facing,” said Taffs.
A recent Zimbabwe Vulnerability and Assessment report (ZimVAC) reveals that
an estimated 1,6 million people in rural areas are likely to need food
assistance this season and the number is 60 percent higher than the one
million recorded last season. The report also reveals that this year’s
cereal harvest was just over a million metric tons, a third lower than that
of last year and the lowest since 2009.
Taffs said efforts to revive the country’s agricultural industry were being
derailed by “political issues which are always at the forefront”. This, he
said, had led to a huge decline in agricultural productivity, with that
adversely affecting other sectors of the economy.
“Agriculture is not to be viewed in isolation. It is tied to banking, rural
councils, schools and manufacturing industries. The problem now is that
agriculture is not working. If we sort agriculture, we sort everything else.
To have a UN food agency based in Harare is an insult,” he said.
Taffs also took a swipe at the country’s draft constitution which he said is
“incredibly unsatisfactory” and smacks of an attempt by some powerful
figures to sweep compensation claims by former white commercial farmers
under the carpet.
The draft constitution enshrines the right of the state to acquire land and
also states that the takeovers will be done without compensation. The draft
constitution also guarantees invaders’ rights to the properties they seize
and insists Britain is responsible for compensation of land seized during
the Land Reform Programme.
“What is concerning is that the constitution is full of contradictions. For
example, in the Bill of Rights, it is clear that no one shall be prejudiced
of land but it is clear that white farmers are being prejudiced.
‘‘The Zimbabwean government in the draft constitution has said they are not
going to honour international court rulings on land. Ignoring international
court rulings on land will isolate the country further and this is something
we cannot afford to do,” said Taffs, adding that the drafters had missed an
opportunity to resolve the land question once and for all and the stance
taken on land will continue to hold back agricultural productivity.