Farmers in Matabeleland taken for a ride due to desperation

UNSCRUPULOUS cattle buyers have descended on farmers around Lupane taking advantage of their desperation to buy cattle at give away prices.
This came to light during a Lupane farmers’ forum organised by Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) at Masenyane Primary School on Wednesday last week.

“Lack of access to the right information about market prices helps city buyers take advantage of us. We sometimes sell our cattle for $250, as we will be desperate for money,we also sell our cattle to middlemen, who give us less money for the value of our cattle, as we have no money to transport the cattle to town and sell them directly to reliable buyers” said Ms Adelaide Ndlovu, a farmer.

Farmers also say  reliable buyers like GMB delay to pay them and thus they end up selling to scrupulous buyers who give them money instantly. Farmers  are also forced to exchange  2kg of sugar to a bag of maize due to desperation and the need for food

What kind of business is this practiced by these cattle buyers, should the government intervene, what do you think, lets discuss.

Zimtrade challenges Bulawayo companies to invest in Mozambique

BULAWAYO — Zimtrade (an export support and promotion arm of the government) has challenged Bulawayo companies to move with speed and take advantage of trade and investment opportunities that exist in  Mozambique’s Tete province, currently dominated by mining companies from Brazil and India. Tete province, located in North-West Mozambique on the banks of the Zambezi River and 833 kilometres from Bulawayo, had untapped mineral resources and an  abundance of coal, iron ore deposits and natural  gas.

A number of companies in Bulawayo are facing viability challenges while others have closed shop.The Zimtrade technical adviser said the Bulawayo-based small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs) should take advantage of a Rio Tinto coal mine business center catering for small businesses to also venture into the Tete  market. Bulawayo -based companies could supply fuel lubricants, mining tools and spare parts, building equipment and plumbing materials, among others.

Rio Tinto, a global resources firm, had set up a coal mine in the province, while Jindal and Vale coal mines of India and Brazil had operations in Tete.

Zimtrade is planning another trade promotion trip to the Nyasa province of Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Limpopo and Gauteng provinces of South Africa this year in a bid to assist Zimbabwean companies to strategically position themselves in those markets.

Can this be the answer  to the Bulawayo business problems, lets discuss.

Cotton farmers cry fowl

Farmers in both Gokwe North and South were left counting their losses after the heavy rains that pounded their area affected the cotton crop, resulting to it drying up.

 Last year, the farmers felt robbed after cotton buyers offered them less money for their crop, raising fears that the farmers would boycott growing cotton this season.

Provincial Agritex Officer, Mr Peter Chamisa confirmed the disaster, which has befallen Gokwe cotton farmers.

“Water logging has caused cotton to dry up. Recently I was in areas like Nemangwe and Chitekete, where the results are catastrophic. We held a meeting to address the situation, but nothing has come out,” he said.

In an interview yesterday, Chief Nemangwe, who is a supervisor of cotton producers in the Midlands, said cotton farmers especially in Gokwe North and South were seriously affected by the state of their crop.

Chief Nemangwe said the situation was so serious that the authorities have called for an emergency meeting to try and address the plight of the affected farmers. Most farmers get inputs like seed and chemicals on loan from cotton growing companies and are expected to repay after harvesting. So if their crops are affected so much, they wont be able to pay back the loans. This might also affect the whole nation`s cotton production and income generation since cotton is exported to other countries. What should be done about this? lets dicuss.

A Biomass gasification power plant to be built in Chimanimani

ALLIED Timber Holdings has entered into a partnership with Indian investors to establish a small power plant. The venture known as Zimbabwe Green power plant plans to build a two-megawatt biomass gasification power plant in Chimanimani.

In an interview, Allied Timbers chief executive Dr Joseph Kanyekanye said the project had received the nod from the Environmental Management Agency.
“We are currently waiting for a temporary license from the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority which we are expecting in April and thus as soon as we get it, work will begin,” he said.
He also added that biomass energy production is a sustainable power generation source, which would use abundant wood waste from local sawmills
“In two years’ time from the initial start of the project we will be producing about 40 megawatts, which will be enough to cater for our power needs as well as those of Mutare,” he said.

 When completed, the project would be the biggest biomass power plant under one company in Africa. If this can help Chimanimani and boost their power problems, dont you think if that could be applied to most parts of Zimbabwe ZESA will be less burdened. This might also reduce severe power cuts. What do you think, lets talk about this.

ZIMA to educate and empower illegal miners

THE Zimbabwe Indigenous Miners’ Association (Zima) plans to embark on an outreach campaign to educate and empower illegal miners on how to formalise their operations. In an interview, ZIMA business co-ordinator Mr Nqobizitha Dube said the organisation would embark on a nationwide campaign to educate small scale miners operating illegally, so that they can register their mining claims with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.

Illegal miners operating in remote ares will be educated on how they can acquire prospector’s licenses as well as facilitating creating links with investors.  They will also be oriented to realize the importance of operating within the parameters of the law through selling minerals in a formal manner. This is meant to minimize smuggling of the nation`s mineral illegally to neighboring countries. The association wants to create a plartform for all citizens who want to have access to claims to exploit the nations mineral resources.


Do you think this is a good move by ZIMA, lets discss

China interested in reviving NRZ

THE Japanese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Yonezo Fukuda, said Japanese business people are interested in reviving National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)  which can reduce transport problems distressing local industries and the general public.

The ambassodor comfirmed Japan`s intrests in the company as real and were willing to partner with the struggling company which needs especially to refurbish the wagons and the whole of the infrastructure.

 

Employees at NRZ have been going for months unpaid, so in a way the Japanese move might be seen as necessary. However, one might wonder why Asians are mostly interested in the country`s economy, and their intentions need to be questioned if they are real. 

Ever since the Asians began investing in the country, the economy has not improved much, so honestly, can we bank on their intervention in the business world to boost our economy? Lets discuss.

More Diamonds in Zimbabwe

More diamonds have been discovered in Budzi communal lands in Bikita near the border with Manicaland Province. A consortium of Chinese and Zimbabwe firms registered Nan Jiang Africa Resources Limited has already applied to the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Rights for a license to start exploiting the gems.

The company has already started building offices and houses for its employees, together with a plant. Also it has recruited over hundred workers from Bikita and Buhera areas. The Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister, Gift Chimanikire confirmed that the Chinese company applied for mining rights.

According to experts in minerals and miming, Zimbabwe is likely to be seen consolidating its position as one of the top world diamond producers.

It’s important to note that this is a new treasure that can help boost the country`s economy which is not doing so well. This can also raise the question if really the country and the population at large will really benefit, or also, was giving a Chinese company mining rights a good move, what do u think? Lets discuss