Farmers seek greener pastures

Zambia on Thursday cautiously welcomed moves by Zimbabwean commercial farmers to resettle in the country and continue farming. "We have an open policy toward investors, whoever they may be. Yes, we are pleased that they [Zimbabwean farmers] have expressed interest in our agricultural sector, but we are mindful of the impact that this could have on the local population. We certainly don't want to see a similar situation like that in Zimbabwe," the director of national agriculture, Peter Masunu, told IRIN. The number of Zimbabwean commercial farmers seeking greener pastures in neighbouring countries has reportedly increased as a result of the government's land-redistribution programme. Already, 20 Zimbabweans are working in Mozambique's Manica Province. Angola and Botswana have also encouraged the farmers to settle in their respective countries. About 125 commercial farmers have expressed interest in areas in Zambia's fertile Northern Province. Masunu said the northern agricultural town of Mbala was conducive to farming because of the "good rainfall and the fishing opportunities". Zambia has the potential to significantly increase its agricultural output, analysts say. Currently, only 20 percent of its arable land is cultivated. The agriculture sector has suffered from poor rural infrastructure, the lack of credit for farmers, and the high price of fertiliser and other inputs. Some of the Zimbabwean farmers were interested in moving to the Copperbelt region, Masunu said, which was "particularly good for our agricultural development, since we are considering diversifying our economy and not just relying on copper production". However, the Zambian authorities would monitor the situation closely "to avoid the land controversy in Zimbabwe". "We have made it clear that the local population will not be displaced. Like all investors, the farmers will have to create jobs for the local people in those areas. Also, individual farmers will be prohibited from owning thousands of hectares at the expense of our own people. They will not be given more land than they can actually use," Masunu said. Prior to Zimbabwe's controversial land-reform programme, in which 2,900 farms have been expropriated, white commercial farmers owned the bulk of the country's prime land. Mozambican officials have been equally vocal on the amount of land the commercial farmers would be entitled to. Up to 15O mainly dairy and tobacco farmers from Zimbabwe have expressed interest in relocating to Mozambique. "We are not giving more than 1,000 hectares to avoid a social crisis ... There was a request for 400,000 hectares ... but it would have represented a type of colony, and Mozambique immediately rejected this request," Mozambican agriculture minister, Helder Muteia, told the Portuguese newspaper, Diario de Noticias, this week. "We are settling them throughout [the country] to ensure they are not grouped together and can therefore easily learn about the situation in Mozambique," said Muteia. The minimum investment required before a project was authorised was US $50,000, and each farmer had to create at least 100 jobs. Apart from Manica, the government had received requests for farming rights in Zambezia, Nampula and Sofala provinces, Muteia said.