Staff reporter

Government has warned citizens against falling prey to scammers who are running a fake tractor distribution scheme on social media.

The organisers of the fake tractor distribution programme purportedly being sponsored by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), are reportedly asking potential beneficiaries to donate a certain amount for them to get the tractors.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Dr John Basera said the purported scheme was a scam meant to con unsuspecting members of the public.

“The statement circulating on social media is purporting that the ministry received and has approved applications for tractors through a donation committee chaired by a Miss Catherine Mataku under a tractor programme being implemented in partnership with FAO head office in Nairobi, Kenya.

“The note is congratulating applicants and advises them that the tractors are currently registered under FAO, and that they should now liaise with its head office in Kenya for transfer of ownership. The ministry would like to warn members of the public that there is no such scheme that the ministry is implementing,” read the statement

Additionally, Dr Basera said the only Government-facilitated mechanisation schemes were the Belarus facility, the Bain facility, the locally manufactured implements facility, the John Deere facility and the Pfumvudza mechanisation facility.

He said under these facilities, the Government was only dealing with the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) and the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) for the distribution of all agricultural machinery under the facilities.

Meanwhile, Dr Bhasera urged farmers to visit the AGRITEX and Mechanisation Department Offices for information or to approach CBZ and AFC to access agriculture machinery under the Government Mechanisation.