Zimbabwe’s government has said “fully productive” farms will not be downzised.
This is a major shift from an earlier policy pronouncement that all farms would be downsized to ensure wider access to productive land.
In a joint statement, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and Agriculture Minister Anthony Masuka said:
“Consistent with the Second Republic’s thrust to increase production and productivity in the agricultural sector and in order to anchor the attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030, Government has taken a deliberate policy position to initially exempt fully utilized productive farms from downsizing until agricultural land under multiple farm ownership, derelict and/or under-utilized has been brought into production.
“Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Provincial Lands Committees shall ensure strict adherence to this policy.”
Earlier in February, Government proclaimed that it had streamlined the sizes of all individual farms in the country’s five ecological regions, in a move that will see more people having access to land.
The relevant Government Gazette reads:
“Subject to sections 5 and 6, no person shall own a farm in Natural Region One if the size of the farm exceeds 250 hectares or Natural Region Two if the size of the farm exceeds 500 hectares or Natural Region Three if the size of the farm exceeds 700 hectares or Natural Region Four if the size of the farm exceeds 1 000 hectares or Natural Region Five if the size of the farm exceeds 2 000 hectares.”
Meanwhile, in addition to the new policy of leaving “fully productive” farms untouched, the Zimbabwean government has moved to stop illegal occupation of such farms.
“Government has received numerous reports regarding the resurgence of illegal land occupations, particularly on highly productive farms thereby disrupting production.
“This comes at a time when the focus should be on increasing utilisation and productivity on agricultural land. These illegal farm occupations are taking place in complete disregard of offer letters which Government has issued to the affected farmers,” reads the joint Ministerial statement.
“Such disorderly behaviour among our citizens is indiscipline of the highest level which Government does not condone or tolerate. It should stop forthwith.”
This latest development comes in the wake of an agreement in July between the government and white farmers to pay the latter $3.5 billion in compensation, for land that was expropriated by the government to resettle indigenous Zimbabweans at the turn of the decade.