Tobacco farms close as land fight continues

At least 570 large-scale tobacco farms in Zimbabwe have shut down because of violence on white commercial farms two weeks after the government undertook to end land invasions and observe the rule of law under an agreement brokered at a Commonwealth meeting in Nigeria, the ‘Independent’ reported on Friday.

Twenty of the farms were invaded and occupied in recent days, Jane Williams, a spokeswoman for the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), was quoted as saying. The stoppages on the 570 farms would result in the loss of 75 million kg of tobacco worth more than US $224 million, she added.

Production at about 400 other farms had also been slowed by the interference of ruling party militants, the report said.

CFU Deputy Director Jerry Grant was quoted as saying on Thursday: “There is no change regarding the situation on the farms. In actual fact, there is increased violence.” He accused the police of discriminating against commercial farmers in favour of those who had invaded the mainly white-owned farms with the blessing of President Robert Mugabe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, the report said.

Analysts were quoted in the report as saying that new reports of violence on farms had reinforced suspicions that the government had only agreed to the Abuja deal to ease pressure on President Mugabe when he attends a Commonwealth summit in Australia early next month.