Land Reform

GOROMONZI
Upon entering Glebe farm now owned by a Zanu (PF) official, one is welcomed by the sorry sight of a field of wilting tobacco heavily outgrown by weeds.
Further into the farm, there are dilapidated tobacco barns that have turned into a play ground for goats and chicken.
But eight years ago, before it was reallocated under the fast track land reform programme, Glebe farm was a hive of activity, producing tons of foreign currency-generating tobacco and other crops.
Since the farm was taken there has not been much production and he (the new owner) always has excuses like the rains have not been good, inputs have not been there and so on, commented Theresa Masoke, a worker at the farm.
This is the situation across the country.
A survey by The Zimbabwean revealed that many of the newly resettled farmers have struggled to produce enough to feed the nation, with many of them failing to utilise fully the farms they were allocated.
Last year the government allocated farm implements to farmers under their mechanisation programme. The aim was to boost the capacity of the mew farmers but just like in the initial process of land reform there were so many loopholes and those who benefited ended up abusing the implements.
A new farmer in Shamva admitted that he had sold the scotch cart he was given.
I sold the cart to a friend who lives nearby and in case the government officials come to inspect it, I will just get it from my friend and return to him when the inspectors are gone, said the farmer.
Asked if he did not need it for his operations at his A1 farm, the new farmer said he had sold the cart to supplement the fees for his school-going children.
Economic analysts have pointed out that the process was flawed as land was given to Zanu (PF) supporters, not on a merit basis.
If the government genuinely wanted to give the land they should have handed it to those who could produce enough but it was based on how much you supported the party and eight years later look at what has happened to the farms, there is destruction. How can they expect an economic turnaround when there is no production in the farms,’ commented a top economic analyst who preferred anonymity.
The situation is worse in Shamva where many resettled war veterans have turned the once highly productive farms into bushy grasslands.
Chabweno farm is now a pale shadow of the tobacco giants that it used to be. The barns are now in a state of disrepair, as they have been lying idle from the day the former owner was chased.
Further down is Umritsur Farm where the new owners are cultivating vegetables only on a small portion. The rest of the farmland is now an empty grassland. Production of citrus fruits at Ceres farm, acquired by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche, has since stopped and the tree plantations have dried up due to neglect.