HARARE
–
A
scheme
designed
to
give
farmers
free
access
to
seed
and
fertilizer,
backed
by
treasury,
is
facing
major
hurdles
after
it
was
revealed
that
the
government
owes
suppliers
in
excess
of
US$300
million.
The
seed
and
fertilizer
is
doled
out
to
communal
farmers
for
free
under
a
“presidential
inputs
scheme”
known
as
Pfumvudza/Intwasa.
Obert
Jiri,
the
secretary
in
the
lands
ministry,
told
parliament’s
public
accounts
committee
on
Monday
that
the
government
had
failed
to
pay
seed
and
fertilizer
companies
for
the
past
three
years.
“The
main
challenge
is
certainly
the
financing
of
this
programme.
Our
contractors
–
FSG
Fertilizer,
ZFC
Fertilizer
and
Quton
Seed
–
they
are
owed
in
excess
of
US$300
million
for
the
2020/2021
season,
2021/2022
season
and
the
2022
/2023
season.
So
we
owe
them
quite
a
lot,
and
this
is
what
delays
the
movement
of
inputs,
because
if
we
don’t
pay,
they
cannot
move
the
inputs,”
he
said
“We
wanted
to
be
as
early
as
we
must
at
this
particular
time,
but
the
cropping
season
is
now
starting,
and
we
have
out
there
50
percent
of
our
seed,
49
percent
of
our
compound
D
fertilizer,
which
is
the
major
bulk
input.”
Jiri
said
if
the
money
was
found
today,
“we
should
be
done
moving
the
fertilizer
by
mid-November.”
He
still
hoped
that
maize
seed
deliveries
to
districts
could
still
be
done
by
the
end
of
the
first
week
of
November,
but
the
cash
crunch
would
affect
traditional
grains
because
“some
of
it
has
to
be
imported.”
The
government
is
targeting
to
supply
seed
and
fertilizer
to
about
3,5
million
households
under
the
scheme
this
year.
Zimbabwe’s
2023/24
farming
season
was
a
disaster
after
limited
rainfall
hit
production.
Normal
rainfall
is
expected
this
cropping
season
but
delayed
assistance
to
farmers
in
need
of
inputs
could
also
affect
production
and
perpetuate
the
country’s
food
deficit.