The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure Senior Reporter —
FOREIGN currency shortages blighting the country are posing a serious threat to the summer cropping season – amid revelations that fertiliser firms’ capacity to meet demand under Command Agriculture and other private farmers is compromised due to lack of foreign currency to import raw materials.
The issue of piece-meal distribution of inputs under Command Agriculture generated a heated debate at the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) held in Mutare this week, with Government shifting the blame to fertiliser firms for misrepresenting their capacity to supply.
Fertiliser firms told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development that they could not meet demand due to lack of foreign currency to import raw materials.
Some of them have raw materials and fertiliser stocks in their warehouses, but cannot release them before paying their external suppliers as the inputs are held under collateral management agreement.
The (PRSP) seeks to eradicate poverty and ensure inclusive growth and improvement in the livelihoods of citizens – and is anchored on seven pillars namely agriculture productivity, social sectors, private sector, infrastructure sector, environment and climate change, gender women and youth development and strengthening governance.
Agriculture is a key pillar of the PSRP as it is regarded as the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economic development.
The production of cereals under Command Agriculture, the papers says, is the only way through which food security in the country can be guaranteed.
“As such, Government, for the next three years is promoting a special maize production programme, which aims to produce two million tonnes of maize on 400 000 hectares of land every year. Under this programme, identified volunteering farmers will be supplied with adequate inputs, irrigation facilities and mechanised equipment to ensure meeting the required target.
“Participating farmers will work under strict supervision and will be required to sign a performance contract which also entails a commitment of producing and delivering at least five tons per hectare to Government’s strategic grain reserve as repayment for the inputs and agricultural equipment,” says the document.
However, the principal director in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pfungwa Kunaka, had a torrid moment to explain distribution of inadequate inputs to farmers.
Stakeholders are that the programme was bound to fail if the allocation of inputs continues being done in a piece-meal fashion.
“As has become the norm with Zimbabwe, you have come up with a very brilliant document, but what is enshrined in it is not what is on the ground. Farmers are not getting inputs as dictated in the document. There is piece-meal allocation of inputs, and this is frustrating farmers. Farmers are getting seed without fertilisers, forcing some to plant without Compound D.
In some areas the crop is at the late vegetative stage which requires top-dressing, but nobody knows when the top-dressing fertiliser will be coming. Where and what is the problem?” asked Headman Saurombe. Chief Tangwena also bitterly complained about fertiliser shortages on the market.
“Where is the fertiliser? You cannot get it even if you want to buy it. We are not crying for free fertilisers, we want to buy, but it is not there,” said Chief Tangwena.
Mr Kunaka admitted the implementation challenges in the programme.
“We have some challenges at the implementation stage. When funds were being sourced to finance the programme, there were misrepresentations by fertiliser companies in terms of capacity to supply.
It only emerged at the implementation stage that they could not meet the demand, and this area needs to be strongly looked at with a view to take corrective action so that this noble programme succeeds.
“There is need for a zero tolerance to undermine the programme. If we fail what is next? Government cannot go it alone. We all have to work together for this programme to succeed. The private sector should play ball,” said Mr Kunaka.
For instance, the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC) has delivered only 20 000 tonnes of Compound D, which is half of the target.
ZFC managing director, Dr Richard Dafana, said the company needed $6 million to fulfil its target under Command Agriculture.
“We are now producing from hand-to-mouth. Fertiliser companies should get the lion’s share on foreign currency especially now when we have an important cropping programme.
“It is best that priority is given to save the crop so that we do not end up importing food. We have high rainfall this year, which is favourable for crop production. We are afraid we may continue to produce the compound fertilisers when the nutrients will no longer be required by the crops,” said Dr Dafana.
Omnia Fertiliser was contracted to provide 6 800 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate and has since supplied 5 000 tonnes. Omia finance director, Mrs Anne Munetsi also cited the same challenge.
“We have been experiencing challenges to access foreign currency to buy raw materials. We also blend fertilisers, but production is being hampered by shortage of raw materials as a result of foreign currency challenges. Our bins, which are supposed to have raw materials, are empty now and normally during this time of the year they would be full,” said Mrs Munetsi.
