Industrialists and farmers want special treatment in fuel
allocations if fuel supplies are not readily available so that they can
continue to produce.
They fear that licensing more service stations to sell fuel
in foreign currency could lead to greater dollarisation of the economy,
reducing their competitiveness.
As they no longer get special treatment for fuel
allocations they were spending production hours in queues like any other
motorist.
At some fuel stations, they allege, corrupt attendants
connive with some customers and sell to them for a kick-back.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) immediate past
president Mr Sifelani Jabangwe said the shortages of fuel have adversely
affected production. “Fuel is the enabler of everything and should be
stabilised. From agriculture to mining, everyone heavily depends on fuel.
“Yes, Government has allowed those with free funds to
import fuel and sell it in forex, but this should be a temporary measure.”
Mr Jabangwe said selling fuel in forex will only benefit
those who accessed it, while the majority who earn the local currency will
continue to struggle.
“There should be no segregation in accessing fuel,” he
said. “Those who import using their money want to recoup their expenses and
they will continue selling in hard currency.”
Mr Jabangwe said selling fuel in forex could lead to the
re-dollarisation of the economy, a move the country is not ready to adopt.
“It is very difficult for the economy to re-dollarise,” he
said. “We do not have enough forex reserves to sustain that because it will
mean that one needs hard currency to buy basics like tomatoes.
“The dollarisation of the economy will affect the
competitiveness of our local industry.”
Farmers’ union representatives want farmers to be given
priority fuel allocations.
They said maize farmers required at least 100 litres of
diesel for each hectare from land preparations up to harvesting, while tobacco
farmers require about 200 litres a hectare.
Federation of Farmers’ Unions president Mr Wonder Chabikwa
said agriculture produced 60 percent of the raw materials needed by the
manufacturing sector and should be prioritised in fuel allocations.
“Everyone is in agreement with us that Zimbabwe’s economy
is driven by the agricultural sector,” he said. “This sector is also among the
largest employers in the country from household to commercial levels.
“Sixty percent of the raw materials that power the
manufacturing sector come from agriculture. In the past, farmers would get
special fuel supplying facilities and would buy it at wholesale price, but now
we are being made to queue for long hours just like any other motorist and this
is adversely affecting production.”
Mr Chabikwa said his membership had the potential to
increase production if they got the necessary support from Government and other
stakeholders.
“We should not re-invent the wheel and we should not kill
the hen that lays the golden egg,” he said. “Tobacco farmers are the most
affected by the prevailing fuel shortages.
“Those with an irrigated crop are now busy harvesting.
There is a lot of trailer work involved at this crucial stage and this requires
a lot of fuel as tobacco has to be transported from the fields to curing barns
and then to the auction floors.
“We have the capacity to improve the production of crops
like maize, wheat, soyabeans and all horticultural products and the forex we
are using to import some of these products will then be channelled to other
essential services like drugs, fuel and power importations.”
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union president Mr Shadreck
Makombe said farmers should be allowed to access fuel directly from the
National Oil Infrastructure Company, so that they boost output.
He said it will be a loss for farmers to be forced to buy
fuel in foreign currency because the producer price of their products was paid
in local currency.
“Every farming process requires a lot of fuel, especially
diesel, but we are not accessing it,” said Mr Makombe. “Thorough investigations
should be done at service stations and flush out all unscrupulous elements
fuelling the black market.
“We cannot continue living at the mercy of middlemen who
usually get preferential treatment at service stations.” Chronicle
0 comments:
Post a Comment