Officers complete first phase of audit

CHEGUTU – AFTER months of going around Mashonaland West Province’s districts
undertaking a survey on beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme, Zimbabwe
Lands Commission officers last week completed 15 days of auditing Chegutu District
new farmers.
The Land Commission Officers had already been to Hurungwe, Makonde,
Mhondoro-Ngezi, Sanyati and Zvimba before Chegutu District.
The survey in Chegutu District marked the completion of the first phase of the land
audit, an exercise that is conducted every five years.
The land Commission officers carried out surveys on all farms and plot holders with
the objectives being to look for information on how land beneficiaries are utilising the
land they got, as well as information on the utilisation of the land, soil and
management of the veld.
The survey included issues such as land management, soil management, and veld
fire management, type of production, availability of land offer letters, ablution
facilities, and availability of water and farm management skills.
Generally, the expectation was to see people utilising 50 percent of production and
of land utilisation, however, some of the farmers interviewed as the officers wound
up their survey, spoke of the challenges they have encountered with attempts to
access to bank loans, lack of capital and inability to access inputs.
While the teams take a break from undertaking the district surveys, the expectation
is that recommendations from the exercise on the challenges being faced by
farmers, the findings will be forwarded to the Government for interventions in areas
that require Government's interventions.
Caption: Land Commission officers after completion of the survey of Chegutu District
last week. – ZIS.