Harare (New Ziana) -The Zimbabwe government has disowned a fake note circulating on social media to the effect that it has received and approved applications for tractors by farmers.
The fake message purports that a Miss Catherine Mataku chairs the donation committee of the said tractors programme being implemented in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), whose Head Office is in Nairobi, Kenya.
The same message is congratulating applicants and advising them that the tractors are currently registered under FAO, and that beneficiaries should now liaise with the FAO Head Office before their ownership is transferred to the applicant’s name.
In a statement, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Dr John Basera warned the public that there was no such scheme.
He said the Ministry only partners with the FAO through its Country Office in Zimbabwe and Sub Regional Office for Southern Africa which is also hosted in the country.
“The Ministry advises that FAO has no such e-mail, and neither the Ministry nor the FAO has such a delivery mechanism that is making use of a Donation Committee,” he said.
Dr Basera said the so-called Miss Catherine Matuka the ppurpoted chair of the said donation Committee was neither an employee of the Ministry nor that of FAO.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry wishes to advise members of the public that the circulating fake note is a scam to prey on unsuspecting members of the public who need productivity enhancing equipment such as tractors.
“The Ministry is taking measures in partnership with the relevant authorities, and the culprits will be dealt with accordingly,” he warned.
Further, he added, the Belarus, Bain, local manufactured implements, John Deere and the Smallholder/Pfumvudza Mechanisation facilities were the only government mechanisation schemes for the public to access mechanisation equipment administered through commercial banks.
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.
Dr Bhasera also 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 Facilities.
New Ziana
