Zimbabwe farm unions doubt government grain forecast

By Nelson Banya

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's farmers' unions on Wednesday warned the country could face another grain deficit in the next season due to poor preparations and lack of funding, despite government projections of the biggest harvest yet.

Zimbabwe, once a regional bread basket, has failed to feed itself since 2001, after President Robert Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms to resettle landless blacks.

Mugabe and long-time rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, formed a power-sharing government in February in a bid to end a protracted political and economic crisis.

The new government has projected maize output of up to 2.5 million tonnes next season, which would mark a return to food self sufficiency for a country that had about 7 million people -- over half the population -- relying on food aid last year.

Zimbabwe needs about 1.8 million tonnes of the staple maize per year, according to official figures.

But farmers' unions attending an agricultural conference convened by the government and donors in Harare on Wednesday expressed doubts over the government's forecast.

The Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU), which represents most of the country's black farmers, said the forecast was optimistic.

"What we're seeing on the ground paints a different picture," ZFU vice president Berean Mukwende told Reuters.

"Many farmers are having difficulties, in terms of accessing inputs and time is running out."

UNPREPARED

"The rains are upon us, yet we're still talking about finding finance," said Charles Taffs, vice president of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), which represents the few remaining white farmers in the country.

"I have been around the country and seen how unprepared we are. We are going to have another deficit."

Ngoni Masoka, a senior official in the Ministry of Agriculture, said that increased government funding and donor support would raise cereal production.

Foreign aid groups have raised $74 million so far, in a drive to provide inputs to 685,000 households.

Masoka, however, remained adamant that production would rise significantly next season.

"Last year, we were assisted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), through South Africa, to get 300 million rand. Now we are talking of more money, so we should produce more," he said.

Farmers attending the conference said problems relating to land title were also affecting the funding of agriculture.

Unlike the previous owners, the newly resettled farmers have no title deeds, making it difficult to borrow from banks.

Zimbabwe has issued 99-year leases that banks refuse to accept as collateral because they cannot be sold or transferred.

"We need to address the ownership issue of land so that we go back to the situation where farmers have security of tenure," CFU's Taffs said.

"Without that we are not going anywhere and we may just stop thinking of the recovery of the agriculture sector."