The charges will be standard criminal charges of fraud,
theft, unlawful possession and misrepresentation, and there is going to be a
lot of co-operation between the police, the Grain Marketing Board and Agritex
who are already digging into reports that some farmers are selling inputs and
others are buying and trading in these.
At a media briefing on the distribution of Pfumvudza inputs
held in Harare yesterday, GMB chief executive Mr Rockie Mutenha said as part of
efforts to reduce cases of inputs fraud, the GMB will be issuing permits for
movement of inputs.
GMB would work with police at road blocks to ensure that
inputs reached the intended farmers. Anyone found without the relevant
documents would have the inputs impounded.
“We are going to have road blocks so we will be working
closely with law enforcement agents and we will issue movement permits for
inputs.
“These inputs are given to farmers to produce crops not to
sell. If you don’t have a piece of land and no use for the inputs, please don’t
receive the inputs.
“They are meant for crop production and not for retail
business.
“These are clear cases of theft and fraud,” he said.
Farmers were not supposed to pay for the transport of
inputs since the inputs were being given to the farmers for free by the
President.
GMB is responsible for contracting transporters. When a
transporter moves inputs to a ward, they raise an invoice for GMB to pay
them.
“We have heard incidents where some transporters and some
local leaders are requesting farmers to pay for the inputs. The correct
position is that transporters raise an invoice which is submitted to GMB,” said
Mr Mutenha.
Speaking at the same briefing national police spokesperson
Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said anyone found selling and buying
Presidential inputs would be arrested.
“Presidential inputs are not for sale. Anyone found selling
or buying these inputs will be arrested and we all urge the public to report
such cases to any nearest police station. So far, no fines are accepted by
police, these are serious cases of fraud so definitely all cases are taken to
court,” he said.
Ass Comm Nyathi said they had arrested nine people across
the country for abusing presidential inputs.
They are Allan Benzini (39), Christine Pfunde (47), Faith
Ncube (50) and Rita Mathe(48) Tavonga Chikuni (18) Maizivei Themba (33) and
Maizivei Gariyakumwe (43), Shylet Dumani (42) and Geogina Mandizha (39).
He said recently police in Plumtree recovered 18×30 kgs of
compound D fertilisers, suspected to be Presidential farming inputs near
Highgate Farm.
The fertilisers were abandoned in a bush by two unknown
suspects who fled from the scene after a passerby stopped as they were hiding
the fertiliser in the bush.
Presidential inputs are expected to reach up to 3 million
rural households targeting farmers in communal lands, A1 resettlement,
peri-urban and old resettlement areas. Herald
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