Opinion / Columnist
Land audit a mandatory requirement
03 Jun 2015 at 11:10hrs | Views
The call by the Government to re-do land audit is a mandatory requirement that is essential to restore the pre-existing agrarian economy which sustained the populace's livelihoods since time immemorial.
Zimbabwe is endowed with fertile vast tracts of land which can produce the best results if put to good use. Despite all this vital land, the nation is struggling to make ends meet due to unproductive land owners that are clinging to the land with no production. The most notorious ones are multiple farm owners that are under utilizing that land. They should surrender all but one farm for others to have access to the same resource. The waiting list for people in need of land is quite long, and in this vein the national cake should be shared equitably.
However, it is imperative that Government should consider parceling out land to eligible people with technical expertise on how to farm the land, particularly the needy graduates of agriculture from colleges and universities, as well as other suitably screened entrepreneurs that have the farming business at heart. Land should not just be given to people at random, lest we destroy the glorious economic value of our land which is renowned for propping up the economy.
The government through the Land Commission is urged to implement the periodic land review programme to ascertain the productivity of the farmers that are possessing land. The most productive farmers should be promoted, while the least productive and the under-performing ones should be replaced to pave way for deserving citizens who have the capacity to farm. This would improve the value of the land as most them occupying the land are propelled by parasitic styles which compel them to go begging for resources which in most cases do not yield outputs which are commensurate with the inputs.
It is prudent to remind new farmers that they should not always be crybabies that seek to be bailed out when in actual fact the country is relying on these to contribute to the economy. In principle the whole society expects the farmers to create employment on the farms and spear-head the development of down-stream agro-based industries. The best attention should be focused on A2 farmers who possess large farms suitable for commercial activities. The government should not tolerate land barons that horde land for irrational agendas bearing in mind all these farms are state land whose fate can be decided by the government.
The appropriate legislation should be put in place to synchronize all the processes smoothly.
There is need for serious business on the land so that we can restore the bread-basket status that we have always cherished in African and beyond.
Source - Suitable Kajau
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