Hopes of a bumper wheat harvest in crisis-ridden Zimbabwe have been dashed by repeated power cuts and fuel shortages, a newspaper reported on Monday as a Cabinet minister promised to step up white farm evictions.
Irrigation systems have been running on reduced capacity because of the frequent cuts. Farmers are unable to manage the outages because the state-run power utility, Zesa, does not stick to its blackout schedule, said the state-controlled Herald.
Commercial farmers here have traditionally cultivated a wheat crop over the winter months of May to August to complement maize crops that are grown during the rest of the year.
But President Robert Mugabe’s controversial programme of white land seizures launched in 2000 has seen agricultural production slashed by at least 40% and left the cash-strapped government forced to import staple foods.
The Herald said an invasion of quelea birds, a local pest that destroys wheat when it is nearly ready for harvesting, had also compromised wheat yields.
One new farmer complained that she was incurring more costs because she had to pay wages to people to scare away the birds.
Meanwhile, State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa has said evictions of the remaining white farmers will be stepped up so that the land reform programme is completed before the rains begin, official radio reported on Monday.
The authorities have preparing the last eviction notices over the past month, he said.
More than 4 000 white farmers used to own and farm land here six years ago, but now less than 300 are left. — Sapa-dpa