Increase CDF for rural areas: MP

GOVERNMENT has been urged to come up with an affirmative policy towards allocation of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in favour of rural communities which are lagging behind in terms of development.

Zanu-PF Makoni South legislator, Cde Misherk Mataranyika, said rural constituencies should be allocated a bigger chunk of the CDF compared to urban areas that have better services.

Cde Mataranyika said this while addressing Parliament last week.

“Another issue of major concern to me, Mr Speaker Sir, is that people from the rural areas, that is the villages, have lagged behind in terms of development, especially if you compare them with their counterparts in the resettlement areas,” he said.

Cde Mataranyika said the major difference between people from rural areas and resettlements was the availability of water urging Government to construct more dams for agricultural purposes.

“We need to boost production levels by these farmers and this is one way to do that,” he said.

“In the same vein and linked to the above point, I would like to propose to this august House that in order to help uplift the lives of the rural people, let us deliberately come up with an affirmative policy that favours the rural constituencies in as far as the Constituency Development Fund is concerned.

“I am, therefore, proposing that the allocation of CDF should favour rural constituencies on a ratio of 3:1 to urban constituencies.”

Cde Mataranyika said rural constituencies should get three times the funding given to urban constituencies, saying allocating the same amount was “a clear travesty of justice”.

“This proposition is driven by the realisation that urban constituencies have by far more social amenities than rural constituencies,” he said.

“People in urban areas have closer proximity to facilities like clinics, hospitals, schools, colleges, stadia et cetera. They also have electricity, piped water, better roads, transport and many other advantages over the rural folk.

“To give the same amount of CDF to both the rural and urban constituencies is a clear travesty of justice. We need to raise the standard of living of our.”

Cde Mataranyika raised concern over some private maize buyers whom he said were ripping off farmers from his constituency.

He said the buyers were taking advantage of the refusal by Grain Marketing Board to set up a maize collection depot at Nzvimbe in Makoni South constituency because of bad roads.