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NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Made: Celebrating mediocrity

Opinion & Analysis
One of the major reasons Finance minister Tendai Biti revised this year’s $4 billion National Budget downwards by 10% is the continued decline in agriculture. Maize production in Zimbabwe — a country once regarded as the breadbasket of southern Africa — averages 0,6 tonnes per hectare against a world average of 4,2 tonnes per hectare […]

One of the major reasons Finance minister Tendai Biti revised this year’s $4 billion National Budget downwards by 10% is the continued decline in agriculture.

Maize production in Zimbabwe — a country once regarded as the breadbasket of southern Africa — averages 0,6 tonnes per hectare against a world average of 4,2 tonnes per hectare in the previous farming season.

Biti noted that the country was now falling behind the yields of countries such as Zambia and Malawi, whose maize productivity levels are at 1,52 tonnes per hectare and 1,5 hectares respectively.

Wheat production is also on a downward spiral with 8 000 hectares planted this year compared to 15 982 hectares last year.

The minister noted that a substantial number of wheat farmers had already switched to other crops owing to frustration caused by poor government policies.

The minister painted a gloomy picture of Zimbabwe’s food security situation, which has an impact on future economic prospects of the country. But in the midst of that gloom we had the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) giving Agriculture and Mechanisation minister Joseph Made a silver medal for his contribution to agriculture.

Visiting FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva on Tuesday disclosed that Made had been given the World Food Day 2011 Medal.

Da Silva said the medal was handed out each year by the United Nations agency to raise awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.

Made has been Agriculture minister since 2000 and he will be remembered for overseeing the destruction of commercial agriculture through the fast-track land reforms.

The chaotic exercise displaced over 4 000 commercial farmers and thousands of farm workers that were replaced by Zanu PF officials and sympathisers who had no experience in farming.

As a result of this ill-planned exercise, Zimbabwe now depends on donor aid to feed its people.

According to the Commercial Farmers’ Union, the country faces a million-tonne maize deficit this year and to cover the deficit Zimbabwe will have to import from countries such as Zambia.

The maize from Zambia will come from the same farmers that Made and Zanu PF unceremoniously kicked off their land at the turn of the millennium.

Even after presiding over the disaster that was the land reform programme, Made has failed to come up with programmes to restart agricultural productivity.

Instead he has been quick to blame our misfortunes on droughts and late delivery of inputs.

We wonder what FAO saw in Made that Zimbabweans can’t see or which can be supported by statistics from our doomed agriculture sector.

That would require more than a helicopter ride.