Is the new farmer affording Christmas parties, bonuses?
One of the greatest things that farmworkers used to look forward to was the Christmas party at the end of each year.
It was an unmatched feast.
As sure as the sun rises from the east, the farm workers knew they would eat meat and have one or two soft drinks courtesy of their employer.
Usually farmers would slaughter a cow for the fete that was not to be missed for any reason.
Beer would also be available, and so would be music.
Along with it came the 13th cheque, otherwise known as bonus.
This was paid regardless of individual performance, or the company’s performance. It was a must.
The idea was to motivate workers as well as show appreciation for their effort at the same time enriching the employer-worker relationship.
But ever since farms changed hands, the tradition is fading away.
Just like the commercial farm was broken down into a communal farm, many farm rites have broken down.
There is no longer farmhouse breakfast at the farm.
The new farmer barely eats good food. The new farmer hardly pays the worker. Over the years, the new farmer and the worker have been a recipe for disaster, a match made in heaven!
As the year ends, the acrimonious relation is set to get worse because of the bumper harvest of the last season that had inverse effects that left many farmers out of their depth as they were forced to sell their produce for low prices because the market was flooded.
According to Zimbabwe’s Second Crop and Livestock Assessment report, the estimated maize production for 2021 stands at 2,7 million tonnes. This yield is estimated to be triple the 2020 harvest. The agricultural sector is projected to grow 34% this year, more than three times the 11% projected in the budget given at the end of last year.
The International Monetary Fund also reports that Zimbabwe is on a path to economic recovery with a growth forecast of 6% this year, largely due to the maize harvest.
However this success did not cascade down to the small-scale farmers who offloaded their maize to Grain Maize Board at the earliest convenience because of hard pressing issues.
Paid out in May, most farmers’ have already dried up and are struggling to pay their workers a living wage.
Agriculture being capital intensive, those that did not purchase inputs when they were remunerated are facing difficulties in securing them.
They will be left with no choice but to go to the government’s programme which almost always delays distributing the inputs reigniting a cycle of debt, season after season.
A bucket of maize is selling at US$5; this time last year it was US$7.
The same can be said of tomatoes which were US$0,70 in December last year but are selling at US$0,30.
Unfortunately, this also has downstream effects on livestock because of the abundance in grains; anyone can easily access supplementary feeds.
The prices of beef and pork have steadied at US$5/kg while chickens are failing to trip over the US$2,50/kg that is usually associated with the festive season.
This means many farmers are in most cases scratching for a break-even.
On the other hand, the farm workers are of the belief that the bumper harvest translates to a handsome pay cheque.
They feel they must be paid a bonus because it was a result of their work.
But the situation on the ground is telling a different story.
Charles Dhewa, CEO of Knowledge Transfer Africa, said bumper harvests were now rare, and hence many farmers were caught unaware and failed to plan for the future.
"As an agri-based economy, when agriculture does well, it boosts industry and communities where people rely on agriculture, but we need to maximise on what we have produced this year," he said.
Dhewa said that, unfortunately for farmers, a glut in commodities was pushing prices down in alternative markets.
"Generally, prices of all commodities have been suppressed, in fact some commodities are selling at abnormally low prices － an indication that the market is saturated.
"If the prices continue dropping, it means farmers are not going to be able to go back to the field, because the price of inputs doesn't correspondingly go down," he said.
If the situation was not addressed, it would become more difficult for farmers to pay their workers.
Dhewa said a solution would be to provide value-added commodities or hold back on selling commodities until prices have improved.
Unfortunately value addition has also become difficult on farms as machinery that was left behind by commercial white farmers has been vandalised and has become obsolete.
Worse, with the brain drain that the country has suffered, a lot of skilled workers drifted across the Limpopo. Farmers have been made to do with the remaining, who are in most cases not up to the task.
Most of the new farmers are unable to sustain a monthly running salaries schedule, and have resorted to hired labour which is available only when there is work that needs to be done.
Unfortunately government programmes such as Pfumvudza and the Presidential Input Scheme do not take care of the farmer’s labour needs.
This means that problems of remuneration at farms are here to stay.
Unless the new farmer is working somewhere else and is willing to split his income with the farm workers, or has a business that gives him passive income, the hosting of annual parties at farms and paying of bonuses will remain a yesteryear's story.
This year (2021) is going to be remembered as the one in which everyone felt they were a farmer and tried to do something.
Throughout the year people were looking for land everywhere to start farming projects.
Agriculture minister, Dr Anxious Masuka has been on his toes trying to legitimise the land reform. There is a new offer letter in town, with security features that will be used to access farming inputs and also assist in tracking down bad debtors.
The 2021/22 season has begun, but unfortunately the rains have been delayed and there are fears that we will not be able to have a good harvest and farmers are already saying the 2020/21 season was better than the incoming one.
Gwabanayi is a practising journalist and a farmer in his own right. — 0772 865 703 or gwabanayi@gmail.com