Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) 40 white farmers get offer letters

40 white farmers get offer letters
Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:32:00 +0000

AT least 40 white commercial farmers have been recommended to get offer letters under the land reform programme in Masvingo, as Government continues its drive to ensure that all Zimbabweans regardless of race, get access to land.

This brings to over 53, the number of white commercial farmers granted offer letters this year, after 13 others were granted offer letters and retained their farms in Guruve District in April.

To date, 975 farmers have had offer letters extended to them, while 115 leases have already been registered.

Most of the white beneficiaries in Masvingo are in the wildlife conservancy sector where Government has been pursuing the formation of consortiums between white farmers and new black stakeholders.

This development should allay claims in certain quarters that the land reform programme, which has seen over 300 000 black families getting prime land since 2000, has been discriminatory.

Before then over 70 percent of the country’s prime land was in the hands of 4 500 white farmers and absentee landlords.

Masvingo Governor and Resident Minister Titus Maluleke yesterday said Government was considering the situation of white commercial farmers and had recommended that some get offer letters for land under the ongoing programme.

"There are quite a number of white farmers that have been recommended to get offer letters in the province so that they can either be allocated land elsewhere or on their current properties.

"Most of these white farmers are in the wildlife conservancy sector where they are forming consortiums with indigenous players.

"But there are also other white farmers who are going to get offer letters to venture into ranching and agriculture," said Governor Maluleke.

He added that Government was currently working on offer letters in terms of which the white farmers would get 25-year leases in the wildlife conservancy sector.

"Our thrust at the moment is to make sure that white farmers who we have recommended to get offer letters and form consortiums with indigenous farmers get the necessary papers because we want indigenous players to learn from their expertise.

"Government has since recommended that the white farmers who will get these consortiums are given 25-year leases", Governor Maluleke said.

He pointed out that though Masvingo province had limited farming land, there still existed many wildlife conservancies where indigenous players could be allocated land within the ambit of the land reform programme.

Masvingo has one of the highest number of conservancies in the country and efforts are underway to ensure that the sector is indigenised in line with Government policy with emphasis being put on the 2010 Soccer World Cup Finals to be held in South Africa.

-The Herald

Labels: LAND REFORM, MASVINGO, TITUS MALULEKE, WHITE FARMERS

posted by MrK @ 2:04 PM