Sipepa Nkomo on why Zimbabwe has a serious food shortage

A Bulawayo legislator said it was deplorable that Zimbabwe, which was once the breadbasket of the Southern African region, is now importing maize from Zambia on some “eat now and pay later scheme”.

Moving a motion to get the government to set up a committee to look into the current food shortages in the country where 2.2 million people are said to be in need of food, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, the Movement for Democratic Change’s shadow Minister for Agriculture, Land and Water Development, said the present food shortages were due to poor planning by the government.

Though he commended the land reform programme, Nkomo said there was no way Zimbabwe could move forward if the government continues to churn out millions of dollars in support of farmers with no indication of self sustaining operations in the near future.

“While government certainly has an obligation to support farmers, the current support mechanisms are not sustainable as they are characterised by an endless cycle of one way financial and input injections which are not matched by equivalent returns,” he said.

He also chided banks for pouring money into tobacco instead of the staple maize.

Below is his full motion on 15 October.

MR. S.S.NKOMO: I move the motion standing in my name that this House:-

• NOTING that Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of Southern Africa and has now been reduced to a basket case;
• DISTURBED by the Government’s lack of precautionary programmes to avert hunger in the face of a poor rain season;
• CONCERNED by the acute shortage of food which has resulted in more than two million people facing starvation particularly in Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland and Manicaland Provinces;
• MINDFUL of the fact that in Zimbabwe more than 2.2 million people are in need of food to avert starvation;
• NOW, THEREFORE: Resolves to set up a Parliamentary Committee to enquire into the food shortage crisis that is currently engulfing Zimbabwe; and calls upon Government to implement an urgent non-partisan drought and starvation mitigation programme.

MRS. MATIBENGA: I second.

MR. S.S.NKOMO: Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate on this motion. Zimbabwe is a country endowed with vast natural resources. Our rich fertile land was one of the major causes for the colonisation and subsequent liberation struggle for Zimbabwe. Land, as a God given heritage of this country, has been the basis for the economic development of Zimbabwe.

Skewed land ownership practices characteristic of the colonial settler regime were reversed at the onset of the new millennium, owing to the fast track land reform programme. While the land was indeed returned to indigenous Zimbabweans as the rightful owners, it is worth noting that the radical transformation in land ownership also heralded a new era of unprecedented food shortages.

There are cases at hand of multiple farm ownership and subsequent under-utilisation of land, much to the detriment of crop and livestock production. The victims of elite capture have been the ordinary villagers of Kezi and Siyachilaba who have to contend with debilitating food shortages following the dysfunctionality of a hitherto well laid out food market chain.

In 2000/2001, maize production dropped by 680 000 metric tonnes to a disappointing 1.47 million metric tonnes due to lower planted area and yield. Maize production has always been on average lower than required to meet national needs.

Though undoubtedly noble a programme, it has become apparent over the years that the Land Reform Programme was a programme not well thought out. But, it was a sporadic reaction to a political capital in light of the energies of the new political players in a hitherto monopolised political landscape.

Food handouts by Non- Governmental Organisations have been an annual feature in the country’s calendar of events. However, elements in Government, for political reasons, frustrated the NGOs by burning their operations in the year 2008 when Zimbabwe was at the height of its economic abyss leading to unchecked starvation.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I just want to say that last year, 1.7 million people required food aid. The shortages follow some of the poorest weather for years but the crisis derives not just from recent uncontrollable factors, but from some longer term and very much manmade problems.

For example, in November 2011, maize was planted on 1.2 million hectares. This should be enough to produce 1.8 metric tonnes of maize which Zimbabweans consume annually. The Ministry of Agriculture delivered seed and inputs when the rains were already underway. It is a very frustrating practice which has been repeated since the year 2000.

The other issue is actually self inflicted failure. Drought and poorly implemented policies and a shift by the banks to fund tobacco and cotton instead of maize and other grains, have all contributed to Zimbabwe’s current food insecurity.

In the year 2000, when the Land Reform Programme was launched, land was seized from white commercial farmers and given to black farmers. This Act broke apart an important pillar of the Zimbabwean economy, replacing white farmers with some inexperienced farmers with insufficient –

[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-

Mr. Speaker Sir, I said this act broke apart an important pillar of the Zimbabwe economy.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order! May I draw to the attention of the hon. member that the land was not seized. The redistribution of land and the resettlement was done in terms of the law which was passed by this hon. House. So, may I ask the hon. member to withdraw the term ‘seized’.

MR. S. S. NKOMO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I do respect your view and I do withdraw the word, ‘seized’. I just want to say that this Act broke apart an important pillar of the Zimbabwean economy, replacing white farmers with inexperienced farmers with –

[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-

MR. SPEAKER: Order! May I ask hon. members to be slightly indulgent please? Hon. Nkomo, please proceed.

MR. S. S. NKOMO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I really just wanted to make this point that, I did not say all of them. Mr. Speaker Sir, I did not say all of them, my statement says ‘some’ and that is correct. –

[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-

With some inexperienced farmers, with insufficient planning and State support, they did not get State support. Those who got State support –

[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order! If hon. members from either side have certain views on the motion, can they keep their views to their chest rather than shouting while the hon. member is speaking.

MR. S.S. NKOMO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Those who got free land contributed just 16% of the total maize output. Mr. Speaker Sir, I will give another example. One day, I was standing outside the City Hall in Bulawayo, this is just to make my point. I was standing with a friend of mine who was a Cabinet colleague from ZANU PF and we were just chatting waiting as both of us were going into the City Hall to meet the councillors.

Somebody from Matabeleland South came rushing as he was excited to see the minister. He greeted him and said makadii chef and so on. Now, my colleague said to this man, do you know this man? Then he said, no, I do not know him. Then my colleague said this is Minister Nkomo, the Minister of Water. He then turned to the minister and said, chef, he was speaking in Ndebele and I am just paraphrasing because he is from Matebeleland South. He said, ndokumbira $5 kuti ndiende kunocheka kufarm kuti zviri kufamba sei? That is what makes me know that some of them are not equipped properly –

[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –

Some of them, Mr. Speaker Sir, sold the equipment and to me, it is all bad planning. This country has no agricultural policy up to now. The land also has no value. It is a gift – much of the land is under equipped and underutilised.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the Government has been accused of partisan distribution of food during drought and starvation mitigation programmes. It is indeed sad and primitive that a Government can deliberately starve its own populace for purposes of political expedience.

It is the essence of democracy to have divergent political ideologies with Government having the capability to rise above party politics and provide food to all deserving and bona fide Zimbabweans.

To back that up my point Mr. Speaker Sir, I have an article which I will give to the Clerks. It is from The Standard newspaper, ‘Ditch MDC-T or starve, villagers told’. This is in Mutasa – ‘A traditional leader has demanded that all MDC-T supporters surrender their party cards and regalia or risk failing to get food aid from Government. Cephas Mashingaidze, who is Headman Chidawanyika in Mutasa Central Constituency, said all MDC-T supporters must join ZANU PF, the party that won the July 31st harmonised elections. Chidawanyika made the remarks at a funeral at Nyarudzu homestead in Ward 17 last week, saying those who would fail to obey the order would also lose their farming plots’.

Mr. Speaker Sir, this is just to prove my point on partisan distribution of food. It has also

MR. SPEAKER: Order, order! For purposes of recording, could you kindly indicate the date of that publication?

MR. S. S. NKOMO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, the date of the publication is 13th – 19th October, 2013.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

MR. S. S. NKOMO: Mr. Speaker Sir, it has also become a common trend that the Government churns out millions of dollars annually in support of farmers – who 13 years after the Land Reform Programme, are still being referred to as ‘new farmers’ and are handheld by Government with no indication of self-sustaining operations in the near future.

While Government certainly has an obligation to support farmers, the current support mechanisms are not sustainable as they are characterised by an endless cycle of one way financial and input injections which are not matched by equivalent returns. It does not, therefore, come as a surprise that Zimbabwe is now a basket case from its rightful position as the bread basket of Southern Africa.

[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –

If current practices in the agricultural sector are anything to go by, Zimbabwe is poised to suffer even more food deficits in the future. Mr. Speaker Sir, Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector is just as susceptible to the climate phenomenon. Many of our farmers have not been capacitated to align their farming practices with changing weather patterns.

This has resulted in massive crop failure year in and year out as farmers are still stuck in the old farming patterns. Owing to the shifting weather patterns, farmers either plant their crops too early or too late. It would appear that there are no mechanisms in place by Government to bridge the knowledge gap which presents a valid and very serious threat to our national food security.

The country’s overall climate change adaptation strategy should have a comprehensive agricultural component and specifically provide for the use of Extension officers in building the capacity of rural farmers to adapt to climate variations. This also calls for synergies with the Meteorological Services Department among other Government departments. Our small scale farmers are hardest hit by climate variations and yet these are the farmers who ensure food security at household and communal levels.

Mr. Speaker Sir, for a country like Zimbabwe, once with an agricultural sector so vibrant that it was the envy of the world, to import maize from Zambia on some “eat now and pay later scheme”, is indeed deplorable –

[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]-

and points to failed leadership and policies. It is sad indeed that we are faced with yet another acute shortage of food which the World Food Programme (WFP) says has resulted in more than 2.2 million people facing starvation particularly in Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland and Manicaland Provinces.

This is a crisis of magnificent proportions and requires prompt action to abate a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

Zimbabwe should never be reduced to a famine zone. Zimbabweans have a reputation of a hard working lot and food shortages are a dent on our national pride.

I, however, note and commend the creation of two deputy ministers for the Ministry of Agriculture and hope that the next five years will see great improvements in livestock and crop production.

Mr. Speaker Sir, driven by the desire to ensure food security for all Zimbabweans; recognising that the new Constitution guarantees right to life; acknowledging that food sustains human life.

I duly move a motion that this august House sets up a Committee to enquire into the food shortage crisis that is currently engulfing Zimbabwe.

I also call upon the Government to implement an urgent nonpartisan drought and starvation mitigation programme. Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to thank you for the opportunity.

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