by Derick Tsimba
Farmers will soon start to access the John Deere Mechanisation Facility through selected local banks, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement has said.
The Agriculture Ministry said successful beneficiaries of the John Deere Mechanisation Facility were going to access tractors, combine harvesters, planters, disc harrows, boom sprayers and trailers among other implements.
“Selection of beneficiaries of the John Deere Mechanisation Facility which include tractors, combine harvesters, planters, disc harrows, boom sprayers and trailers among other implements is under the following banks; Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe, Stanbic Bank and Agribank,” said the Ministry.
Commenting on the John Deere Mechanisation Facility in Harare yesterday, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Retired Chief Air Marshal Perrance Shiri said that the facility was not for free.
“The Mechanisation and Irrigation projects initiated by Government are not for free. Beneficiaries are expected to pay back loans, with all loans being issued through banks using banking criteria of credit-worthiness,” he said.
Speaking to this publication, an official from Agribank hinted that beneficiaries of the John Deere Mechanisation Facility were going to be selected through banks to establish their credit worthiness.
“To access the facility, farmers should be creditworthy; they should have a production history and have collateral. Farm implements are going to be prioritised to farmers with irrigation facilities as the rains are now unreliable due to climate change and other requirements by the bank,” said the official.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the John Deere Mechanisation Facility on 25 June 2020. The facility is aimed at boosting the country’s critical agricultural sector after United States-based Company rolled out a US$51 million farm mechanisation facility for farmers across the country’s provinces.
Since the Land Reform Programme, Government has been coming up with agricultural facilities to empower the new farmers. In 2007/08, Government through the central bank introduced the Farm Mechanization Programme, which benefitted both A1 and A2 farmers for free. The beneficiaries even included members of the opposition political parties who are now at the forefront of castigating the programme.
Among the beneficiaries of the FMP from the opposition are the MDC-Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa who got US$43 654, the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai who got US$134 765 and the late MDC vice leader, Gibson Sibanda who also benefitted US$21 540 from the programme.
