[The reference to “serious farmers” makes me think that the stampede was by black farmers. Jan]

HERE was a stampede at the Grain Marketing Board’s Aspindale depot in Harare on Thursday as farmers scrambled to buy Chinese fertilizer which arrived in the country last week.

The chaos broke out as it emerged that government officials and the well-connected, described by GMB acting chief executive as “serious farmers” — including President Robert Mugabe — had privileged access to buy fertilizer in Harare.

This was happening at a time when ordinary Zimbabweans are resorting to the black market to get fertilizer which is among the many commodities in short supply.

Witnesses told The Standard the GMB Aspindale depot was besieged by small-scale farmers and dealers who had failed to access the commodity for the past two months. Stocks were last sold at the depot in November.

News about the arrival of six National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) wagons laden with Chinese fertilizer prompted a stampede as early as 11:00AM and by 4:00 PM farmers were still battling to get fertilizer.

The acting GMB boss said the stampede showed that Zimbabwean farmers were taking their business seriously.

“There were no riots,” he said. “We are happy with the enthusiasm shown by the farmers when they heard that fertilizer had arrived. Farmers are conscious of the need to apply fertilizer on their crops, especially considering that there are good rains in the country,” said Muvuti.

But as the ordinary farmers were scrounging since the past year for one or two bags of fertilizer, The Standard investigations showed that government officials and those close to the establishment were allowed to buy large quantities of the commodity for the winter wheat season.

These include ministers, Didymus Mutasa and Flora Buka, who bought 60 tonnes and Chris Mushohwe who got 25 tonnes. Governor David Karimarinzira got 26 tonnes, Nicholas Goche 20 and David Parirenyatwa 14 for his Tambawaguta farm in Rusape.

Air Marshall Perence Shiri received 30 tonnes and Retired General Vitalis Zvinavashe 60 tonnes.

Manicaland Zanu PF chairperson Enock Porusingazi was among those who bought 30 tonnes. Vice-President Joseph Musika bought only six tonnes from Aspindale.

Asked to explain why government officials were allowed to buy large quantities of fertilizer while ordinary farmers with limited resources failed to get a single bag, Muvuti said ministers were farmers, “serious farmers for the matter”.

“It’s not a question of being ministers, but the scale at which one is farming. They are engaged in large-scale farming activities and they deserve to get those quantities,” said Muvuti.

He added: “We have made an arrangement that A2 farmers order their fertilizer in Harare instead of their local depots. We don’t want a situation where an A2 farmer in Mvurwi where we may have put between 60 to 100 tonnes to turn up at the depot and ask for 80 tonnes. What will the small scale farmers who may need a bag or two say when they see one person taking all the available quantities?”

Muvuti said ministers, “like everybody else”, brought letters from Arex officials and their depot managers who confirmed that their required tonnage was appropriate to their crop.

Asked if war veterans leader Joseph Chinotimba who bought 24.5 tonnes of Shasha Top fertilizer was one of those serious farmers, Muvuti said: “Chinotimba? His own son is running the farm”.

About Sekesai Makwavarara who bought 5.9 tonnes of Shasha fertilizer, Muvuti said: “Mai Makwavarara, she is a serious farmer. For your own information she has a son who is running the farm.”

The Standard also established that while small scale farmers were wondering where they could get fertilizer, top GMB officials have made sure they had stocks of fertilizer at their farms before the onset of the rains this cropping season..

The Standard discovered that between the 23 and 24 August last year, the Aspindale depot released 80 tonnes of fertilizer for the acting GMB chief’s Musengezi farm following an instruction from the GMB headquarters.

Of these, 40 tonnes were Compound D and the remaining Shasha fertilizer. The fertilizer was transported to Mvurwi depot where it was to be picked up by Muvuti.

Thirty more tonnes of fertilizer were transported from Aspindale to Goromonzi. These were for Woodform farm owned by John Madzinga, the GMB operations director.

Zvidzai Makwenda, the GMB marketing director got 30 tonnes.

Muvuti admitted that he had and other officials of the GMB had bought large volumes of fertilizer. “I even got more than what your sources told you. I have a tobacco crop and I am pursuing farming seriously. To me it’s a passion,” said Muvuti.

“Muchafa muchinyora tumafalsehoods twenyu vamwe vachirima vachibudirira, (You will die writing these falsehoods while others are farming and succeeding),” said Muvuti.

Source: AllAfrica.Com
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200701291359.htm…/p>