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Mr Hwarare

Tawanda Mangoma in CHIREDZI
Former chairman of the Commercial Sugarcane Farmers Association of Zimbabwe Mr Admore Hwarare yesterday accused the association’s leadership of abandoning its core business of improving members’ welfare and devoting more energy to loss making entities.

Mr Hwarare said farmers were now languishing in poverty as the association failed to amicably solve the issues surrounding the Division of Proceed (DoP), farmer beneficiation from by-products from sugar such as ethanol and electricity.

“I left (CSFAZ chairman Tawanda) Mafurutu to run the association hoping that he would lead the farmers to the Promised Land, but I am now regretting,” he said.

“He was my deputy, we fought profusely for farmers to have affordable milling charges and drive benefits from by-products such as molasses, electricity and ethanol, but seems when I left he failed to deliver in all these key result areas hence my decision to come from retirement and reclaim my position,” he said.

With the Elective Annual General Meeting set for next month, Mr Mafurutu’s executive is facing immense pressure as farmers recently protested against their poor management of the association’s assets.

Dr Tungamirai Rukatya, a farmer and member of the association, urged the leadership to stick to its core business of uplifting the production capacity of the farmers.

“The association is being led astray. What they should be advocating for is securing deals that assist farmers.

“We need fertilisers, we need not struggle to get fertilisers and we have little knowledge about our statutory obligations and our accounts continue to be garnished and they are just silent,” he said.

Another farmer Mr Obert Nhendo said they want all income generating projects to be run under a private company instead of using farmer subscriptions to buy tractors and loss making 30 tonne trucks.

“We cannot continue watching when the executive uses tractors which were purchased by our subscriptions for free. We want all income generating projects to be registered as a private entity in which every farmer would have shares based on the level of his or her contribution,” Mr Nhendo said.

According to the association’s AGM information package, their trucks failed to generate profit since last year.

“We have two trucks under our fleet and truck ABQ 6455 had one major breakdown in October 2016 and was repaired in November 2016.

“A total of 95 loads were ferried in the period under review giving us a total of $63 641 and total expenditure of $64 540,” read part of the data.

Farmers have also queried some of the budgetary expenditure for 2016.

According to the information handouts, the executive spent $11 960 on airtime, while office staff utilised $3 360 while landlines gobbled $3 600.

On Internet and emails they used $2 460 and on computer expenses they used $8 000.

Mr Mafurutu confirmed the elective congress next month.

He, however, refuted claims that his executive has failed to priorities farmer’s needs.

“It’s election period and you expect so much from those seeking offices.

“What I can tell you is we have not failed on issues of DoP and by-products, it’s a process which moves with stages,” he said.