It was a sound and perfect idea to make Zimbabwe food sufficient. The government was to look for 2 000 farmers who would be asked to grow 200 hectares of maize each.
Each farmer was expected to produce at least 10 tonnes per hectare, sell five to the Grain Marketing Board and retain the other five.
Result, two million tonnes of maize for the nation. Boom, Zimbabwe does not need to import maize any longer.
If every farmer attains 10 tonnes per hectare, there is another two million to play around with. Add the normal production from other farmers doing their normal cultivation and Zimbabwe is once again the breadbasket of Southern Africa.
But, it looks the programme has already been derailed. First, Deputy Agriculture Minister Davies Marapira tells the nation that over 900 000 farmers have applied to join the scheme. What hog wash?
If Zimbabwe had that many farmers, would there have been any need for the command scheme?
But it looks like Marapira was not taken to task. The programme has been watered down. In fact, all the signs are that it is being turned into a looting scheme along the lines of operation maguta, mechanisation and so on.
And who is likely to benefit? Fertiliser and seed companies, of course. Then the big shots. Forget the average Zimbabwean who is supposed to benefit from the programme. And forget that the GMB will get the maize.
The question is why is Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is supposedly the architect of the programme and is responsible for food security in the country, watching his programme being derailed?
He has told the nation several times that he is against corruption. Masamba asiyana, he has often said. Asiyana papi when his programme is being turned into another failed programme like maguta and mechanisation?
Why is he silent when only yesterday he said people entrusted with positions of authority who engage in dishonest and unethical practices for personal aggrandisement do not deserve an inch of space in our society?
Why is he lying to himself and the nation that the command agriculture project would have no leakages?
Why is he lying to himself and the nation that implementation pitfalls identified with previous agricultural programmes are being addressed at both planning, implementation and evaluative levels by putting in place responsive internal control mechanisms so that the programme becomes a success?
The very fact that the programme has departed from taking on only 2 000 farmers with 200 hectares each or more is a sure sign that something is already wrong.
Ngwena, please admit your programme has been derailed. But you can still get it back on track, if you are serious about resuscitating this country’s economy.
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