(HERALD) Farmers cry foul over GMB’s handling of inputs

Farmers cry foul over GMB’s handling of inputs
Monday, 06 February 2012 00:00
Herald Reporters

FARMERS have accused the Grain Marketing Board of conniving with politicians and
other influential people to abuse inputs meant to benefit the majority of Zimbabweans. This has affected production amid fears of food shortages this year.
But, GMB has denied the allegations saying their investigations have established that input distribution has been done above board.

Farmers say political leaders have prejudiced intended beneficiaries of Government's input schemes, with some giving eyewitness accounts where they saw truckloads of fertiliser and other inputs being taken to some politicians' farms, leaving them stranded.

Several GMB depots have been cited as worst affected by the alleged corrupt activities.
These include Mhondoro- Ngezi, Buhera, Norton and Karoi depots.

GMB, however, vehemently denied the corruption claims, saying investigations conducted at the cited depots established that there was adherence to set standards on inputs distribution.

Said GMB spokesperson Mrs Muriel Zemura: "In relation to the distribution of inputs, complaints and allegations from affected farmers prompted the GMB to investigate each and every case that was brought to our attention."

She said they received 19 reports of corruption between January 3 and 25 this year.
"Investigations for 18 of the cases have been completed and were found to be false allegations or no substantial evidence as alleged was found. One case is still being investigated."

Management at GMB, Mrs Zemura said, did not condone corruption.

"As a result, the GMB continuously carries out investigations whenever necessary, for example, when we receive tip offs from members of the public," she said.

GMB continues to give technical advice to Government on how best farmers can benefit from national inputs programmes.

"The fertliser available at the depots is only 32 percent of the contracted tonnage that has been delivered so far.

"All these challenges could have been avoided if adequate quantities of inputs were made available in time," she said.

An official with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development said fertiliser companies were still in the process of supplying Government with the commodity.

The official said the Government only received 32 percent of the ordered inputs while the remainder will be delivered after payment by Treasury.

Fertiliser companies only released 13 000 tonnes at the beginning of the farming season.
The official said fertiliser companies could now be supplying directly into the market after Government failed to pay for the commodity.
But farmers blame input shortages on mismanagement.

They feel the systems have loopholes.

Zimbabwe Farmers Union director Mr Paul Zakariya said some "undeserving" people secured fertiliser at subsidised prices and were reselling it on the parallel market.
"There is need for people to go back into the formal structures of doing things.

"Those distributing inputs should do so with a measure of accountability. It is disturbing that a few people can cause the shortages by mismanaging resources," he said.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Donald Khumalo also blamed the shortages on mismanagement.

"A single person may receive inputs from different schemes, depriving other deserving farmers of the commodities.

"We should refocus on the input schemes to ensure deserving farmers only have access to farming inputs," he said.

Mr Khumalo said people who accessed cheap inputs do not even belong to any farmers' union and do not have track records on farming.

"The schemes should be designed for productivity so that all inputs are channelled to farming."