The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
OVER 250 00 people are on the land distribution waiting list, as more Zimbabweans realise the benefits of engaging in farming, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Zimbabwe is also enjoying the fruits of a good agricultural season, after bountiful rains that followed prolonged periods of drought. Speaking at the House of Assembly on Wednesday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said government was happy that more Zimbabweans had realised the rich pickings that could be gleaned from agriculture. He said given the high demand for land, government was looking to downsize some farms for further land distribution.
“We are very happy that people have seen that it is important and fruitful and beneficial to engage in farming. We now have more than 250 000 people who are on the waiting list. Those whom we gave farms in A2 are only 20 000. We are now looking at downsizing farms and redistributing to others. The opportunity to get a farm is very slim as of now,” he said.
Minister Masuku said the government would also soon clamp down on multiple farm owners or those underutilizing the land granted to them.
“Allow me to repeat: as of now, most of the land has been distributed. If you go around, you will not find a place that is vacant. Even where there is no farming but, in the Registry, these farms will be having owners. Actually, there is a problem underway for us to distribute land to those who are waiting.
“Firstly, we are making a follow-up on those who have more than one farm. We refer to them as multiple farm owners. We are following up also on those who abandoned their farms. We also take note of those who are underutilising their land. We take action on derelict farm owners. You will see that we are actually taking from those whom we once gave these farms, but for now, we are looking at the nation rising to demand pieces of land,” he said.
