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ARDA fails nation's expectations
Felix Njini, The Financial Gazette
January 06, 2005

http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2004/December/December31/7407.shtml

THE Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), established to spearhead the government’s development projects in rural areas, has failed to live up to expectations as political meddling wreaks havoc on a once vibrant parastatal.

Arda, founded during the colonial era as the Tribal Trust Land Development Corporation, has seen its operations taking a nosedive after independence.

The entity, which has more than 20 estates under its ambit, has drastically scaled down its involvement or totally abandoned some rural development projects started in the early years of independence.

The pulling out of donors from all government-related developmental projects at the inception of the controversial land reforms in 2000 has worsened Arda’s situation. The land chaos triggered by government has left half the population in need of imported food.

It has also cut, by 50 percent, production of the staple maize, soya beans and tobacco, further deepening the economic crisis.

Some of Arda’s projects which have been scaled down or virtually collapsed include the Mashonaland East Fruit and Vegetable Development project, Manicaland Smallholder Coffee and Fruit project, livestock development projects, the land use projects, development projects for rural areas in Kariba District (Kanyati and Gatshe Gatshe Land Use project and Omay Land Use project) and irrigation projects of the Dande Smallholder Irrigation Development Project.

Although no official comment could be obtained from Arda chief executive Joseph Matovanyika, a senior official said the main objectives of the horticultural projects had been to bolster the production and marketing capacity of producers in the communal areas.

Financing was geared at extension services, transport of the final produce, establishing marketing links and equipping farmers with technical skills.

The European Union (EU)’s pulling out has reduced the project to a white elephant despite having embarked on an export programme of mangetouts peas, baby corn, edible beans, potatoes and a variety of vegetables.

Available statistics from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) indicate that production of crops such as flue cured tobacco, tea, wheat and soya beans went down from 1996 to 2000 while production of sorghum, non-productive teas and groundnuts has been completely abandoned.

Production of wheat, which had risen steadily to 18 393 tonnes in 1999 from 9 000 tonnes in 1996, fell to 16 542 tonnes in 2000. Flue-cured tobacco, grown mainly for the export market, fell from 228 tonnes in 1996 to 73 tonnes in 2000 while tea production declined from 1 072 tonnes in 1996 to 774 tonnes in 2000.

Production of edible beans, an industrial crop, also fell during the period under review from 435 tonnes to 83 tonnes.

"Arda has succeeded in destroying previously viable farming projects . . . that is its sole achievement despite gobbling billions of dollars in taxpayers’ funds," said economic commentator Eric Bloch.
In Manicaland, Arda had targeted increasing household incomes through smallholder commercial production through setting up of fruit and coffee projects.

Sources said the projects had successfully transformed a number of backyard orchards into full-fledged commercial orchards.

When the project was later handed over to the farmers in 1996, more than 9 000 tonnes of fruits such as bananas, citrus, apples, avocados and more than 300 tonnes of green coffee were being marketed.
The pulling out of the EU sounded a death knell for the project and reversed gains which had made as Arda failed to market and transport the produce on behalf of the farmers.

Some of the outgrowers have since dumped Arda for other horticultural firms to market their produce.
The same applies to the Arda’s livestock projects in Matabeleland and Kariba where ranches covering 10 000 hectares in Tuli and 57 000 hectares in Dodieburn and Manyolo had been developed with paddocks, game fencing and modern water facilities.

Villagers from the surrounding areas have since invaded the farms and brought down the fencing.
According to the CSO, Arda’s total beef herd declined sharply from 34 772 in 1996 to 4 259 in 2000. Total dairy cattle herd also declined from 2 219 in 1996 to 1 651 in 2000.

"It is the gross mismanagement synonymous with all parastatals. Government does not mind when parastatals lose money for 25 years," Bloch said.

He said the solution lies in privatising Arda or instilling a culture of professional management in the institution.

Bloch said Arda had limited chances of succeeding in its stated goals, let alone beefing up the country’s food requirements.

Arda has also abandoned the Intergrated Rural Development Programme, which was aimed at establishing viable production and support systems in below average rainfall areas of Gutu and Zaka districts in Masvingo.

John Robertson, an economist, said Arda was not likely to make any profit as long as there was political meddling. He, however, noted that there had been some successes in some of Arda’s estates in the Middle Sabi.

"Arda has become a feature of the political policy making. It is not longer an agriculture system which yields good results," Robertson said.

"The institution needs to be run by agronomists, scientists and professional managers and not politicians," Robertson said.

Analysts said government, through Arda, should step in and fill the yawning gap in agricultural production left by white commercial farmers.

"Arda cannot succeed where government is failing, especially now when it is operating like a communal farmer," said an agro-economist at the University of Zimbabwe faculty of agriculture.

"There is too much interference from head office. Though they say each estate is autonomous and because of this, no Arda estate will ever make a profit," said the economist.

Produce from Arda estates such as wheat, maize and seed maize is sold to the Grain Marketing Board, a government monopoly, at sub-economic prices.

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