(HERALD) Wheat farmers still to be paid

Wheat farmers still to be paid
Saturday, 21 January 2012 18:52
Faith Mhandu

Wheat farmers who delivered grain to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) during the 2007/2008 marketing season are still to receive outstanding payments amounting to US$4 million owing to disagreements between the parastatal and the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development over the issue.

GMB management continues to refer the farmers to the parent ministry while the ministry, in turn, insists the parastatal is better placed to deal with the matter.
In an interview last week, Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union director Mr Peter Gambara accused the GMB and the ministry of disadvantaging wheat producers.

“The GMB has been arguing that it is not their responsibility to pay the debt, saying Cabinet had already undertaken to pay us,” he said.
“I delivered 21 tonnes for which I have not received a single cent. Initially, it was said they were going to pay us by swapping inputs, but this, too, did not materialise.

“The GMB was then made to compile a list of farmers with outstanding payments. We did that, but did not receive anything. Farmers are losing faith in Government and the GMB.”
GMB general manager Mr Albert Mandizha said Cabinet approved the payment through the Ministry of Finance. He said the matter was no longer in his institution’s hands.

He said although farmers were still inquiring, the parastatal still awaited Government to act.
“The Minister of Agriculture held a Press conference in 2010 to announce that Cabinet had approved the payment of farmers for the 2007/08 season,” he said.

“It is no longer up to the GMB to pay, but the ministries of Finance and Agriculture.”

The Secretary for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Mr Ngoni Masoka, maintained the GMB was better placed to handle the matter.

“The general manager of GMB is in the best position to answer since they are the ones responsible. He knows what is happening,” said Mr Masoka.