Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Zimbabwe is experiencing acute fertiliser shortages and it is too late to do anything about it now, meaning that next year's harvest is already in jeopardy. Agriculture remains the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy and a key anchor for any prospects of recovery. While the main parties fight over positions and power, they have neglected the actual governing of the country and the formulating of policies and strategies that could easily have averted this crisis Harare, Zimbabwe, 04 November 2009 A colleague who has detailed information on the state of preparedness in the Agricultural sector in Zimbabwe revealed yesterday that Zimbabwe is set to suffer massive food shortages next year as a result of a disastrous agricultural season. Although the country has enough seed (especially seed for the country's staple food, maize), there is a massive shortage of fertiliser and it is too late for anything to be done about it. While the Inclusive Government of Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert ...

Villagers in Uzumba, a stronghold of ZANU PF, have started getting patronage from ZANU PF with the distribution of the party promises to be thousands and thousands of bags of fertiliser and seed. It is a clear indication that Mugabe is now in electioneering mood and has started buying votes. Harare, Zimbabwe, 21 October 2009 That money ZANU PF has been stockpiling from the plunder of the Chiadzwa Diamond Fields is now being put to use buying votes. Yesterday, the Member of Parliament for Uzumba, Simbaneuta Mudarikwa, distributed 100 bags of fertiliser in the ZANU PF stronghold while promising the delivery of 10 000 more bags. The gypsum fertiliser is being distributed to communal farmers only, identified as "deserving" through the ZANU PF structures in that constituency. This is a boon at a time when most other ordinary farmers are failing to access inputs such as seed and fertiliser, with banks demanding collateral to the extent of forcing farmers to use their livestock as s...