News / Local
Mnangagwa confront rival Jonathan Moyo
14 Apr 2017 at 03:55hrs | Views
VICE President Emmerson Mnangagwa has broke his silence on sustained attacks from Higher Education Professor Jonathan Moyo over Command Agriculture project.
Mnangagwa said he met Moyo in person and challenged him over his criticism yet he was a beneficiary of the same scheme.
Mnangagwa said no single person including Moyo was 'commanded to join Command Agriculture', Herald reported Friday.
"The major attack of Command Agriculture came from my colleague Professor Moyo, so I met him.
"He is a beneficiary of Command Agriculture. He has 80 hectares, very good crop in Mashonaland Central, so when I met him I said my brother, but you criticise Command Agriculture when you are benefiting so much and we are supporting you.
"He said no my brother, Vice President, I am not attacking Command Agriculture, l have been attacking information that is coming out about the $500 million fund. It is not explained to the public, people will think there is some mismanagement of some sort.
"I said no! but you understand you are in Cabinet, we always explain these things in Cabinet, and we discuss these things in Cabinet. This is why each time I have opportunity to discuss these things, I mention what actual funds have come to the programme, that is what has happened" he told the Herald.
He added, "When I see people criticising Command Agriculture, I do not have time to look at the criticism.
"I continuously want to improve on what is there.
"In fact, those who criticise will have eaten. They do not criticise when they are hungry, so we must make sure we produce more food for them to eat and criticise."
"We introduced Command Agric, which many people have criticised because of the word 'command.'
"But I would want anybody to bring anyone who had been commanded to join Command Agriculture. There is nobody."
Moyo has on several occasions been running a string of messages on social media denouncing the scheme adopted by Government last year.
In one of the messages on March 6 following a story published by our Harare Bureau, Prof Moyo wrote on his Twitter handle: "Report by @Herald Zimbabwe that ‘Command Agric exceeds target' is at best premature & at worst needlessly false!"
He went on to post on March 10 that "1/2: Maize is on 1,3m ha: 1,1m is Presidential Input Scheme; 153 102.60ha is Command Agriculture & the rest private!"
Prof Moyo on the same date added "2/2: Command Agriculture targeted 400 000ha but contracted 247,035ha of which 191 124ha (77 percent) were tilled & 153 102.60ha (61 percent) were planted on!"
On March 11, he also wrote that, "Command is a tried & tested military concept. It is also a great in programming. But in civil matters command is an oxymoron & non starter!"
He added on his Twitter handle: "After merchants of Command Agriculture poured $500 million to plant maize on 153 102.60ha, they now want a Command Economy!"
In another tweet Prof Moyo wrote: "Better listen to agro-economists on how $500 million was commandeered to plant maize on just 153 102.60ha when the $500m was meant for 400 000ha!"
Mnangagwa said he met Moyo in person and challenged him over his criticism yet he was a beneficiary of the same scheme.
Mnangagwa said no single person including Moyo was 'commanded to join Command Agriculture', Herald reported Friday.
"The major attack of Command Agriculture came from my colleague Professor Moyo, so I met him.
"He is a beneficiary of Command Agriculture. He has 80 hectares, very good crop in Mashonaland Central, so when I met him I said my brother, but you criticise Command Agriculture when you are benefiting so much and we are supporting you.
"He said no my brother, Vice President, I am not attacking Command Agriculture, l have been attacking information that is coming out about the $500 million fund. It is not explained to the public, people will think there is some mismanagement of some sort.
"I said no! but you understand you are in Cabinet, we always explain these things in Cabinet, and we discuss these things in Cabinet. This is why each time I have opportunity to discuss these things, I mention what actual funds have come to the programme, that is what has happened" he told the Herald.
He added, "When I see people criticising Command Agriculture, I do not have time to look at the criticism.
"I continuously want to improve on what is there.
"In fact, those who criticise will have eaten. They do not criticise when they are hungry, so we must make sure we produce more food for them to eat and criticise."
"But I would want anybody to bring anyone who had been commanded to join Command Agriculture. There is nobody."
Moyo has on several occasions been running a string of messages on social media denouncing the scheme adopted by Government last year.
In one of the messages on March 6 following a story published by our Harare Bureau, Prof Moyo wrote on his Twitter handle: "Report by @Herald Zimbabwe that ‘Command Agric exceeds target' is at best premature & at worst needlessly false!"
He went on to post on March 10 that "1/2: Maize is on 1,3m ha: 1,1m is Presidential Input Scheme; 153 102.60ha is Command Agriculture & the rest private!"
Prof Moyo on the same date added "2/2: Command Agriculture targeted 400 000ha but contracted 247,035ha of which 191 124ha (77 percent) were tilled & 153 102.60ha (61 percent) were planted on!"
On March 11, he also wrote that, "Command is a tried & tested military concept. It is also a great in programming. But in civil matters command is an oxymoron & non starter!"
He added on his Twitter handle: "After merchants of Command Agriculture poured $500 million to plant maize on 153 102.60ha, they now want a Command Economy!"
In another tweet Prof Moyo wrote: "Better listen to agro-economists on how $500 million was commandeered to plant maize on just 153 102.60ha when the $500m was meant for 400 000ha!"
Source - Herald
