According to section 72(2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which is the supreme law of the land, all agricultural land vests in the State.
This means that no farmer in Zimbabwe holds title to his land.
It follows that no farmer in Zimbabwe can use his land as collateral to secure a loan.
With all due respect, the government cannot approbate and reprobate – claim to be empowering small business, particularly farmers, by introducing laws that expand the notion of real security and in the same breath continue to deprive farmers of the most potent form of real security – title to land.
Land tenure in the agricultural sector has worked before.
Why not revert to a winning formula?
This is what I would have expected the World Bank consultant to be devoting his or her energies to.
The re-awakening of the Zimbabwean economy is not a matter of ticking boxes or applying without thought or amendment a notion that has been applied in other jurisdictions.
It is a matter of addressing the fundamental cause of the problem, with appropriate regard to the context of the nation where the problem exists.
It begs no mention that Zimbabwe requires a productive and thriving agricultural sector in order for the economy to function profitably and sustainably.
Once the agricultural sector kicks into motion, industry will re-awaken.
Jobs will be created.
The import bill will be drastically reduced.
The country will have goods to export which will in turn create foreign currency earnings for the country.
Infrastructure, including roads, dams and bridges will be built to support the agricultural sector and our fortunes will be in a better position to improve.
Therefore, if any commodity is crying out to be turned into collateral – it is agricultural land.
Once land tenure is created for agricultural land, not only will such land be available for use as collateral for bank loans but it will mean the holders of such land will be more secure.
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