Mugabe to white farmers: "Oops, my bad"

[Lancer]

"And what to call tha honkeys that was driven out of their farms ?"

You call them 'back'.

[Whoha]

Originally posted by Lancer
"During the election campaign in March, the president said he was disappointed that only 44% of the land seized from whites was being cultivated and that the remainder was lying fallow. "

Why don't blacks farm this land for profit? I assume they were the ones doing the real work anyway. If it was me I'd take advantage of the situation to get ahead, feed my family, etc...

Because under the guise of land for the poor it became land for Mugabe's personal friends and business partners.

[Lancer]

Ahhh, communism.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Caligastia


Somehow I doubt that was the reason Mugabe's thugs let the land go to waste.

Mugabe's thugs, no, but there are plenty of others who'd farm it.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by lightblue
I don't think the militias that took the farms were particularly interested in farming. Not wanting to stereotype, but i don't think a lot of sub-saharan africans have any idea what commercial farming is. Most might do subsistence farming but commercial farming to feed cities is something different.

Well, Zimbabwe is pretty sub-sub-saharan.

[Pyrodrew]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/zimbabwe_street_vendors

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Paramilitary units armed with batons and tear gas patrolled Harare's main roads Monday as police warned they would not tolerate any more protests against their crackdown on street trading — the only livelihood for thousands in Zimbabwe's shattered economy.

Police Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka said 9,653 people have been arrested in a five-day blitz on street vendors, flea market stalls and other informal businesses.

The roundup of street traders — who include teachers and other professionals unable to make a living at their old jobs — came as the government took drastic measures to address an economic crisis it once denied.

The crackdown is aimed at crushing the black market for scarce staple goods such as maize meal, sugar and gasoline. The government claims the traders are not licensed and blames them for sabotaging the economy
.
...

See... Zimbabwe's failing economy is because of street vendors and teachers. Now with them out of the way things will return to normal.

[Dr Strangelove]

Most of the farms confiscated from white owners were mechanized to an extent comparable to American farms. If you take that same land and divide it up among 10 to 20 times that number of Africans those farms aren't going to generate the cash needed to keep them running and profitable, because the types of cash crops previously grown by the whites do require seed stocks, fertilizer, irrigation, mechanical tilling. So the black small farmers may not be to blame for the decline in agricultural production because they're trying to imitate the results of modern agriculture with primitive resources.

Another problem with Zimbabwe agriculture is that often the land wasn't given to the former hired hands, who knew something about running the farms. Instead much of the land was given to militiamen and party cronies who knew nothing about farming.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Pyrodrew

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/zimbabwe_street_vendors

See... Zimbabwe's failing economy is because of street vendors and teachers. Now with them out of the way things will return to normal.

What a relief that the police are able to crack down on those evil persons that tries to undermine the glorious governemt of Zimbabwe.

All that remains is to adjust the population to the current production capacity, then all will be good.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
Most of the farms confiscated from white owners were mechanized to an extent comparable to American farms. If you take that same land and divide it up among 10 to 20 times that number of Africans those farms aren't going to generate the cash needed to keep them running and profitable, because the types of cash crops previously grown by the whites do require seed stocks, fertilizer, irrigation, mechanical tilling. So the black small farmers may not be to blame for the decline in agricultural production because they're trying to imitate the results of modern agriculture with primitive resources.

Another problem with Zimbabwe agriculture is that often the land wasn't given to the former hired hands, who knew something about running the farms. Instead much of the land was given to militiamen and party cronies who knew nothing about farming.

The real problem isn't so much how much the squatters are able to earn. The real problem is that they can't produce the amount of nuts that the previous farmers could. Zimbabwe was a relatively small country with intensive farming at industrial level - splitting the farming land up as done is just a catastrophe just as it would be if tried in Denmark. This can be done in coutries as Brazil with it's wast agricultural capacity, but Zimbabwe should have gone the industrial way - unfortunately, Mugabe chose the hate instead of what was best for all.

[Dr Strangelove]

That's pretty much what I said. They divided up the farms to such an extent that they can no longer sustain modern methods.

[atomant]

Originally posted by Lancer
"During the election campaign in March, the president said he was disappointed that only 44% of the land seized from whites was being cultivated and that the remainder was lying fallow. "

Why don't blacks farm this land for profit? I assume they were the ones doing the real work anyway. If it was me I'd take advantage of the situation to get ahead, feed my family, etc...

I lived in Zimbabwe for six years, moved back to Oz this year. The problem with land is critical, but no one denies the need for reform, only the manner in which Mugabe acted.

The problem with capital in regards to the 'resettled' farmers is this, they do not have title so can not access capital to start large scale agriculture. Further, white farmers who were operating in the export sector and who have the actual deeds to their farms, have told their former clients that if they buy product from their occupied farm, they are in effect buying stolen property.

Black farmers in Zimbabwe, those based in the communcal areas, are also very good at one thing, subsistance agriculture. However, 80% of the maize and maize seed for public consumption was grown on commerical (white) farms. If their is no maize seed, then there is no maize to be planted, ergo, no food.

I could go on, in terms of farm labour and mechansiation, but will close by way of point out the 25% of Zimbabweans live outside the borders of Zimbabwe, which goes to show how successful the governement of big bad bob is in economic planning. The only people left in the country are (by and large) the rich and the poor. The middle class (the foundation of any democracy), simply does not exist in functional terms anymore.

For further reading i would recommend : www.zimbabwesituation.com

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
That's pretty much what I said. They divided up the farms to such an extent that they can no longer sustain modern methods.

Sorry if I might have repeated you - I think that we agree pretty much - anyway, agreement from several sides can't be that bad

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Lancer
Why don't blacks farm this land for profit? I assume they were the ones doing the real work anyway. If it was me I'd take advantage of the situation to get ahead, feed my family, etc...

Lesson: Labor needs managment. Management needs labor.

Okay everybody: Group hug.

The roundup of street traders — who include teachers and other professionals unable to make a living at their old jobs — came as the government took drastic measures to address an economic crisis it once denied.

The crackdown is aimed at crushing the black market for scarce staple goods such as maize meal, sugar and gasoline. The government claims the traders are not licensed and blames them for sabotaging the economy

Oh terrific. Smash small businesses. That'll really jump start the economy.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by BlackCat


Actually, it is pretty sad that Mugabe has succeded to ruin a wealthy country that was able to feed it self and surrounding countries in just a couple of decades worse is that he may live for yet another 10 years

It's really ignorant to simply call a country wealthy by its GDP and economic production when the wealthy of that country were a minority of elitist whites until their party was crashed with the overthrow of apartheid and unfair, exploitative land distribution that promoted mass poverty for the rest of the population.

[Pekka]

""In order to ensure maximum productivity levels, there is great scope in the country promoting and supporting joint ventures between the new farmers with progressive-minded former operators," said Mr Gono in a state radio and television broadcast that lasted nearly three hours. "

That's interesting. New farmers and progressive-minded former operators ... maximum productivity levels with joint ventures .... sounds like someone ****ed up.