Zim white farmers seek aid

Harare - Zimbabwe's white farmers said Friday they are trying to raise $1.2m a month to help 4 200 people who face destitution after being forced off their land.

The Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU), which represents white Zimbabwean farmers, said that that most of the people whose land was seized by government are now surviving on little more than one dollar a day.

"There are 4 200 people, including the elderly, who are living on $38 a month. We are appealing that this be increased to $300 a month," CFU vice president Charles Taffs told a press conference.

"We are looking for $1.2m a month to look after our people who are facing destitution."

Zimbabwe had about 5 000 white-owned farms when President Robert Mugabe began his land reforms nearly a decade ago. About 400 now remain, and the CFU says that most of the farms resettled by blacks are now unused.

"As commercial farmers we are being prevented from producing crops, and the highly productive farms that have been acquired by the government are producing either very little or nothing," CFU president Deon Theron said.

"We are uncertain of what the future holds for us as a nation, and to compound this we are facing a serious looming shortage of food as farmers continue to be prosecuted, persecuted and prevented from farming."

Mugabe has defended the land reforms as a necessary redress to colonial-era imbalances, but the scheme has been plagued by political violence targetting the presidents' opponents.

New farmers have received little government support, and have not been granted titles to their land, which prevents them from receiving bank loans to finance their operations.

Since the scheme was launched, the agriculture-dependent economy has collapsed and the population has become dependent on international food aid for survival.

UN estimates predict that Zimbabwe will produce about 450 000 tonnes of cereals in its next harvest in May, but needs 2.2 million tonnes to feed its people.

- AFP