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OPPOSITION MDC secretary general Douglas Mwonzora’s faction reportedly swept the deck in Ward congress elections in party leader Nelson Chamisa’s Kuwadzana backyard. Mwonzora’s slate according to sources is said to have won all positions in the main wing and women’s assembly forcing Chamisa’s supporters in the youth assembly to disrupt proceedings. “The youth assembly ward […]

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Source: Zim wheat production plummets | Daily News

Zimbabwe’s wheat production declined from 186 243 metric tonnes in 2017 to 160 600 metric tonnes last year, deputy Agriculture minister Vangelis Haritatos has said.

This has resulted in the country increasingly relying on imports to make up for shortfalls and meet wheat demand, estimated at 400 000 metric tonnes annually.

“Last season, the country produced 160 660 metric tonnes of wheat.  Payments to farmers are up to date except for the price adjustments to wheat deliveries as the producer price has been increased from $500 per metric tonne, to $621,50 per metric tonne,” he said.
“Our national wheat requirement has increased from between 300 000 metric tonnes in the 1990s to 400 000 metric tonnes currently.

In 1989, 325 000 metric tonnes was produced from 56 000 hectares. In 1990, the country produced 300 000 metric tonnes from 50 000 hectares. This was enough to meet the country’s need for soft wheat. However, we still had to import the hard wheat which we do not produce in our country.”

The latest announcement comes after Industry minister Mangaliso Ndlovu last month said Zimbabwe was losing $100 annually to wheat imports due to failure by farmers to produce enough stocks.
Haritatos further indicated that the country’s milling industry requires two types of wheat to produce bread-making flour.

“The main one is soft wheat, which constitutes between 90 percent to 92 percent of wheat used for bread making and hard wheat which is also known as gristing wheat which constitutes between eight percent -10 percent. Under local conditions, it is more advantageous to produce the soft than hard wheat,” he said.

Of the 186 000 metric tonnes of wheat produced last year, 80 percent of the tonnage delivered came from farmers contracted under the government’s command agriculture programme. In the previous season, the country had produced less than 100 000 tonnes of wheat.

The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (Gmaz) recently said it is working on a contract farming scheme targeted at increasing the country’s wheat output in order to cut back the country’s reliance on imports for the commodity.

Gmaz said it had appointed a technical committee which will be charged with mobilising inputs and machinery for the production of wheat. The committee would be chaired by Gmaz chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara, and would be deputised by Greame Murdoch of Paper Hole Investments.

“To promote and expand contract wheat farming activities in all suitable farming districts in Zimbabwe, aiming to achieve national annual yield of at least 150 000 metric tonnes for the next three years. This contract will attract new investment locally and abroad,” Gmaz said in a statement.

Other committee members’ include Walter Chigodora of SeedCo, Adrian Carbutt (Rift Valley) Prosper Chiyanike (Metbank) and Johnson Mhanya (Ecobank).

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Source: Khupe's MDC-T probes spokesperson over Zanu PF regalia | Daily News

The Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T has said it is probing why its national spokesperson Linda Masarira was pictured wearing Zanu PF regalia.

All registered political parties in Zimbabwe have paraphernalia that contain symbols and colours which identify them distinctively and also undoubtedly help in many ways to enhance their respective political campaigns across the length and breadth of the country.

Masarira was pictured at her supposed in-laws in a rural setting, wearing a wrap-over commonly called “Zambia” with Zanu PF party symbols and colours, usually used to decorate campaign grounds, party meetings and many other places.

This triggered an avalanche of responses from different people who said the move confirmed widespread rumours that she has been working with Zanu PF ever since she parted ways with the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC.

This comes as the Khupe-led MDC has just headed-off accusations by exiled former Cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo that the party was in bed with Zanu PF. While Khupe has since her ascendancy to the MDC-T presidency frantically tried on numerous occasions to shake off the Zanu PF link tag, it has somehow proved futile.

The latest pictures for Masarira clad in Zanu PF regalia seem to have added salt to an already blistering wound, with the party president indicating Masarira has to explain what could have happened.
“The MDC-T has noted the pictures of its spokesperson which have gone viral on different platforms.

“The party has not yet met with Ms. …Masarira, and we will only be able to give a full statement once we have had the opportunity to engage with her on the disturbing and confusing pictures.
“We implore the media and the public in general to afford us the opportunity to engage with Ms. …Masarira, on this matter,” Khupe said through her spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni.

He said the party will follow the provisions of the constitution in dealing with the matter before referring questions to party national chairperson Abednico Bhebhe.“We are very disturbed indeed and we shall deal with that in the best interest of the party and our supporters, in fact, not only our supporters, but for the generality of Zimbabwean opposition voters.

“We have no link with Zanu PF and we will never in a lifetime be linked to an evil political party,” Bhebhe told the Daily News.
Contacted for comment, Masarira told the Daily News that the hullaballoo about a Zanu PF waist cloth she was wearing was ill advised and uncalled for.

She rejected inferences about the symbolisms or symbolic meanings of the Zanu PF identity symbols and colours she was wearing.
“First and foremost, I see an insatiable appetite for skulduggery.
“Zimbabweans have been divided along political and tribal lines for a very long time which has had an adverse effect on social relationships and transformation of our communities.

Our social fabric is broken and all politicians have a mandate to mend the brokenness in our society,” Masarira said.
“It’s sad that Zimbabweans are polarised to the extent of creating enmity even in family structures because of differing political opinions or preferences.

“While the followers throw insults and abuse at each other, political party leaders mix and mingle, have coffee and whisky together and even have businesses together.”

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