Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement

Following the collapse of the GNU, Douglas Mombeshora was appointed Minister of Lands and Rural Settlement in September 2013 by Robert Mugabe. ^[1]

Davis Marapira was also the deputy minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development after 2013 when he was Member of Parliament for Masvingo North Constituency.

In 2015, Oppah Muchinguri was Minister of Water, Environment & Climate. ^[2]

Anxious Masuka was appointed Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement on 14 August 2020 following the death of the former Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri.

Following the 23-24 August 2023 elections, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced his new cabinet on 11 September 2023. The Minister of Lands Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development was Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka with two deputies' Vangelis Haritatos and Davis Marapira. ^[3]

Mandate

Provide technical, extension, advisory, regulatory and administrative services to the agricultural sector to achieve food security and economic development.

Mission Statement

Promote and sustain a viable agricultural sector through the provision of appropriate agricultural infrastructure, mechanisation, technical, administrative and advisory services in order to optimize agricultural productivity to ensure food security.

Functions

• Acquire and transfer land.
• Participate in the formulation, implementation and review of BIPPA land policy in conjunction with Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance & Economic Development on an annual basis.
• Establish and maintain a functional land information and management system on a routine basis.
• Develop, review and monitor appropriate land tenure systems for rural agricultural land and other and enforce the implementation thereof.
• Allocate land to beneficiaries in a gender sensitive manner on a monthly basis.
• Resolve disputes on farms.
• Relocate and rationalize improperly settled occupiers on state land on a regular basis.
• Disseminate information on legal cases and legal provisions to ensure the Ministry complies with all governing legislation.

The Ministry oversees:

• Veterinary Technical Services
• AGRITEX
• Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS)

John Basera was appointed the Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement in November 2019 replacing long serving senior civil servant Mr Ringson Chitsiko and his appointment took effect from 1 January 2020.^[4]

Parastatals

• Agribank
• Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA)
• Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA)
• The Grain Marketing Board (GMB)
• Pig Industry Board (PIB)
• Tobacco Research Board (TRB)
• Cold Storage Company (CSC)

Further Reading

See Gushungo Dairy.

References