FARMERS TO GET RENTAL BILLS

Government has introduced an electronic database to produce paper bills detailing annual farm rental payments as well as document land use, boundaries and ownership of farms across the country.

The database is expected to be completed before the end of the year and will enable farmers to keep track of payments or arrears in farm rentals.

A2 farmers pay US$5 per hectare annually while A1 land holders are charged a flat fee of US$15 per year, with US$5 going to the rural council where the farm is located and US$10 to Government for land administration. A1 farms measure between six and 15 hectares while A2 farms vary between 15 hectares to 2 500 hectares. Government has been concerned over farmers’ failure to pay the annual rentals. As of April this year, Government had distributed 149 743 A1 farms and 19 472 A2 farms countrywide.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Ambassador Grace Mutandiro said the ministry had already started verifying farmers’ details with the help of the Registrar-General’s Department to enforce payment.

“We are tightening mechanisms to ensure farmers pay their rentals. We have introduced an electronic database where we will capture and verify farmers’ details,” she said.
“This database will then give us the muscle to enforce rental payments.

‘”We are working with the Registrar- General’s Office to verify the details that we were given by farmers.

“After verifying the farmers’ details, we will then bill the farmers electronically as well as give them invoices of amounts owed.

“Recently, the minister said those who fail to pay their farm rentals risk having their farms repossessed.

“Government can also take legal action against those who owe it. But at this stage, we want to use persuasive methods.”

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa said Government should consider charging land rentals according to the region the farmers operate.
“The idea of rental paying is noble. However, Government should consider that land is in different regions across the country,” he said.

“One cannot compare Region Two where there is intensive crop agriculture and Region Five where there is mostly cattle ranching.


“On a single hectare of land, a farmer in Region Two can get 3000kg of tobacco which can be sold for thousands of dollars. However,a farmer in Region Five cannot get the thousands of dollars from a single hectare.” sunday mail

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