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Jiri praises farmers at disputed Springs farm
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Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Obert Jiri last week officiated at a field day at the hotly contested Springs Farm in Mashonaland East Province, where the government has been embroiled in a bitter legal and political battle over ownership.
The government has been seeking to seize the productive property from indigenous farmers and hand it over to business tycoon Muller Conrad "Billy" Rautenbach, a close ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The move has sparked accusations of corruption, political patronage and abuse of process.
High Court Justice Regis Dembure recently halted the eviction of the farmers, many of whom are ministers, Members of Parliament, senior officials and war veterans, describing the government's bid to remove them as "irrational" and "insensitive."
Before the matter was even heard in court, Rautenbach had reportedly already obtained title deeds to Springs Farm. He was controversially awarded Springs and the adjacent Stuhm Farm as compensation for the loss of Aspindale Park, a property the High Court found he never actually owned.
The government had opposed the farmers' legal challenge to their eviction through an affidavit filed by Jiri himself. Yet on Friday, Jiri was at the farm officiating during a showcase of its thriving wheat crop, one of the best in the province.
Addressing attendees, Jiri lauded the farmers' dedication, particularly young producer Tichafa Macheka, and encouraged them to go beyond primary production. He urged investment in beneficiation, value addition and crop processing to strengthen the agricultural value chain.
"There is nothing that stops them from adding value on the farm. People will need bread anyway. Even that particular farmer needs bread," Jiri said.
He emphasised the need for farmers, especially those cultivating between 50 and 100 hectares of wheat, to view themselves as business operators capable of making a significant economic impact. He encouraged collaboration with neighbouring producers to improve economies of scale.
"We should be able to join hands with the neighbouring farmers to produce for our own production plant," Jiri said, suggesting the establishment of small milling facilities linked to bakeries as a way to capture more value from the crop.
Jiri also stressed that land was a finite resource, with some 300,000 people currently on the waiting list. He advised would-be farmers without land to form joint ventures with the state-owned Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, targeting both local and diaspora investors.
The Springs Farm dispute remains a flashpoint in Zimbabwe's long-running land politics, symbolising the tension between government land redistribution policies and accusations of elite capture for the benefit of politically connected individuals.
The government has been seeking to seize the productive property from indigenous farmers and hand it over to business tycoon Muller Conrad "Billy" Rautenbach, a close ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The move has sparked accusations of corruption, political patronage and abuse of process.
High Court Justice Regis Dembure recently halted the eviction of the farmers, many of whom are ministers, Members of Parliament, senior officials and war veterans, describing the government's bid to remove them as "irrational" and "insensitive."
Before the matter was even heard in court, Rautenbach had reportedly already obtained title deeds to Springs Farm. He was controversially awarded Springs and the adjacent Stuhm Farm as compensation for the loss of Aspindale Park, a property the High Court found he never actually owned.
The government had opposed the farmers' legal challenge to their eviction through an affidavit filed by Jiri himself. Yet on Friday, Jiri was at the farm officiating during a showcase of its thriving wheat crop, one of the best in the province.
"There is nothing that stops them from adding value on the farm. People will need bread anyway. Even that particular farmer needs bread," Jiri said.
He emphasised the need for farmers, especially those cultivating between 50 and 100 hectares of wheat, to view themselves as business operators capable of making a significant economic impact. He encouraged collaboration with neighbouring producers to improve economies of scale.
"We should be able to join hands with the neighbouring farmers to produce for our own production plant," Jiri said, suggesting the establishment of small milling facilities linked to bakeries as a way to capture more value from the crop.
Jiri also stressed that land was a finite resource, with some 300,000 people currently on the waiting list. He advised would-be farmers without land to form joint ventures with the state-owned Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, targeting both local and diaspora investors.
The Springs Farm dispute remains a flashpoint in Zimbabwe's long-running land politics, symbolising the tension between government land redistribution policies and accusations of elite capture for the benefit of politically connected individuals.
Source - online
