82 farmers who are illegally occupying part of the Cold Storage Company (CSC)’s 33 000 hectare piece of land in Gwanda have been ordered to vacate the farm as government moves in to address the problem of illegal settlements on state owned land.
The CSC farm that was leased to two commercial farmers has since been invaded by 82 illegal settlers ,a situation that is compromising the joint venture.
However, the illegal settlers had been issued an ultimatum to vacate the farm by the 31st of December 2015.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development – Livestock, Cde Paddy Zhanda said the illegal settlers should be evicted as government will not tolerate lawlessness on state-owned land.
He accused some politicians for playing a role in the illegal occupation of the farm for political mileage.
Meanwhile, two farmers from Gwanda have benefited 25 heifers under the CSC farmer livestock loan scheme that seeks to capacitate livestock farmers.
Livestock farmers in the region have also been calling for a finance scheme in order to grow their herd which has been threatened by recurrent droughts and other diseases.
