IT HAS been raining in most parts of the country this week, including the semi-arid parts of southern Zimbabwe, raising high hopes of a promising farming season nationwide after several years of drought.
Most parts recorded reasonable rainfalls.
But questions emerge on the country’s preparedness for the new planting season with continuous and disturbing reports of partisan distribution of farming inputs, just like food aid which is being doled out in some rural areas to Zanu PF members only.
President Robert Mugabe’s generous Presidential Agricultural Inputs Scheme has again like the ongoing food relief programme, fallen foul to small-time crooks in Zanu PF.
This newspaper on Wednesday carried a story from Gwanda, the provincial capital of Matabeleland South, in which government officials complained bitterly about the politicisation of free farming inputs.
A Zanu PF councillor was shamed over the inputs scheme when he attempted to distribute the farming inputs to his supporters, read Zanu PF, at the expense of real and imagined followers of the MDC formations.
Were it not for very alter Grain Marketing Board (GMB) officials and the police, Ward 16 councillor Jairos Mahopolo, could have got away with murder.
Unless these over-zealous cadrés are told in no uncertain terms the free seed, fertiliser and other farming inputs should be handed out to all farmers irrespective of their political affiliations, the country risks going hungry again come the next harvest season in April 2014.
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Corruption surrounding the distribution of the farming implements is a great cause for concern.
But our farmers should be seen doing their duty in light of the rains slashing the countryside and farming community.
It should be remembered that peasant and other small-holder farmers at their peak supplied the bulk of excess grain to the GMB.
They should be allowed to regain their lost status.
There is no reason come next harvest season the country should again bowl in hand beg for grain.
Let us arrest the rot around the partisan distribution of farming inputs so that our peasant farmers take advantage of the early rains and till the land to feed the country in 2014.
The country now boasts more than 300 000 new black farmers. There is no excuse for the country to starve next year.
