President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he has exempted Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister, Anxious Masuka from constituency politics so that he solely focuses on reviving the country’s agriculture sector.
In March, Masuka, and Permanent Secretary in the Lands Ministry John Basera came out as the biggest winners in the 2022 performance evaluation results for Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials.
The two were named best performers in their respective designations.
Writing in his weekly column for The Sunday Mail and Sunday News, Mnangagwa said Masuka will be a non-constituency legislator. He wrote:
<blockquote>
I have released Minister Anxious Masuka from the distractions of constituency politics so his sole focus and sole politics relate to this one goal of transforming our agriculture for a food-secure Nation for all times.
He will be a non-constituency Member of Parliament, so he has enough time to live, think and dream of agriculture only.
</blockquote>
In 2022, Zimbabwe achieved a record wheat harvest as farmers delivered over 375 000 tonnes to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Before last year’s output, the highest-ever wheat output since commercial production began in the 1960s was 325 000 tonnes realised in 1990.
Meanwhile, several Cabinet ministers and deputies, among them Sekai Nzenza and Ziyambi Ziyambi, were defeated in ZANU PF primary elections that were held on 25 March 2023.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Mnangagwa Exempts Anxious Masuka From Constituency Politics

The government is set to engage seed-producing firms after farmers engaged authorities to protect farmers against the recent unilateral price increases of inputs.     
Agriculture, Lands, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka assured farmers that government will engage seed-producing firms and corrective action would be taken. 
Speaking at the farmer’s annual conference in Gweru following recent price hikes of inputs, Masuka said:
<blockquote>
Government is looking into the issue because we are targeting yet another bumper harvest so inputs should be affordable for our farmers. 
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe Farmers Union Secretary-General Paul Zakariya said affordability of inputs was an essential factor in farming. 
His remarks were echoed by agronomist Tawanda Mangisi who said: 
<blockquote>
The prices of inputs have to be affordable for us to have more people taking up farming. If prices are affordable it will mean more yields for the country. 
</blockquote>
Government  is targeting  another  bumper  harvest  this  season,  following a historic  yield  in  maize  production  recorded  from the  2020-2021  farming season. 
Authorities attribute the good harvests to good rains and farming strategies like Pfumvudza/Intwasa employed last season. 
More: ZBC News

Farmers Engage Government Over Inputs Prices

The Minister of  Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Anxious_Masuka">Anxious Jongwe Masuka</a> has announced a plan to recover Command Agriculture loans noting that farmers with outstanding debts will not be enrolled for the 2021/22 farming season. The minister added that banks that lend to farmers who have not fulfilled the requirements stated below will be liable for any defaults. This comes after CBZ Agro-Yield managing director, Mr Walter Chigodora had indicated in April this year that <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/04/05/defaulting-command-agriculture-farmers-can-repay-loans-in-3-years-cbz/">farmers</a> who defaulted repaying their Command Agriculture loans can repay them in three years. Pindula News presents Mr Masuka’s statement that was issued on 27 August 2021.
<blockquote>
<h2>PRESS RELEASE ON THE NATIONAL ENHANCED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SCHEME (COMMAND AGRICULTURE) LOAN RECOVERIES BY HON DR ANXIOUS JONGWE MASUKA, MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES WATER AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT</h2>
<h2>1.0. PREAMBLE</h2>
1.1. The National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS), commonly known as Command Agriculture, or Special Agriculture Programme for Import Substitution, initiated in 2016, has laid a solid foundation for ensuring national food security, accelerating import substitution, increasing employment, improving incomes and livelihoods and has provided a basis for broadening agricultural exports. 
1.2. Over 15 000 farmers benefit from this NEAPS annually, while over 2.3 million small-holder farmers benefit from social protection schemes annually. Government will continue to implement the two-pronged approach in financing agricultural activities, with the fiscus focussing on supporting vulnerable households with inputs under the Productive Social Protection Scheme (Presidential Inputs Scheme), while the private sector is provided with an appropriate environment to finance commercial activities, including guarantees, where necessary. 
<h2>2.0 THE CHALLENGE</h2>
2.1. The success of NEAPS is pivotal for sustainable financing of the agricultural sector. The success of NEAPS is dependent on repayment of loans by farmers, avoidance of side-marketing, and restoration of financial discipline and ethical conduct in the conduct of business by all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain. 
2.2. Government has issued Statutory Instruments (SI 247 of 2018, SI 145 of 2019, SI 96, SI97 and SI 188 of 2021) to protect contractors, including government. Farmers have overwhelmingly supported these Instruments by honouring their obligations. We thank these farmers for this effort. 
2.3. Unfortunately, some farmers have ignored these Sls and have gone ahead and side-marketed their crops prejudicing contractors and jeopardising repayments to banks that funded the NEAPS. The agricultural transformation we seek should not be jeopardised by these few farmers. 
2.4. NEAPS is backed by a government guarantee to banks that raise capital to lend to farmers to enhance local agricultural production through concessionary loans. Government has assisted to ensure NEAPS is well funded with the ultimate goal of converting repayments from recoveries into a revolving fund. This allows current and new farmers to continue benefiting from the programme. 
2.5. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous farmers that have been abusing the NEAPS. These farmers are taking inputs and misusing them, while other farmers are not repaying their debts, even if they have capacity to do so. 
<h2>3.0. WAY FORWARD</h2>
3.1. The Contract arrangements for the 2021/2022 season are being strengthened to deter side-marketing, non-performance and under-performance. 
3.2. Farmers who have fully paid their debts will be immediately enrolled for the 2021/2022 season. 
3.3. Farmers with outstanding debts will not be enrolled for the 2021/2022 season until they have: 
3.3.1. Made an immediate payment of at least 50% of the 2020/21 Summer Season total loan amount by September 31, 2021. 
3.3.2. Made a Repayment of at least 80% of the 2020/21 Summer Season total loan amount by November 30, 2021. 
3.3.3. Signed a commitment with an asset pledge to pay the Programme in full before the onset of 2021/2022 season. 
3.3.4. For the avoidance of doubt, banks that lend to farmers who have not fulfilled the above, will be liable for any defaults. 
3.4. Additional measures will be taken and all national payment platforms will be activated to ensure repayments by defaulting farmers, including submission of names to the Financial Clearing Bureau. 
3.5. The Minister reserves the right to revoke offer letters for farmers who use their offer letters to the detriment of Government-supported programmes, including an intentional failure to settle loans. 
Hon Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw">Pindula News</a>

Anxious Masuka Latest News

Latest Jobs