Farmers’ union representatives have called upon the government to be prioritised in the provision of fuel as they were spending production hours in queues like any other motorist.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) president Wonder Chabikwa told The Herald that ignoring farmers when it comes to fuel allocation is akin to killing the hen that lays the golden egg. He said:
Sixty per cent of the raw materials that power the manufacturing sector come from agriculture. In the past, farmers would get special fuel-supplying facilities and would buy it at wholesale price, but now we are being made to queue for long hours just like any other motorist and this is adversely affecting production.
We should not reinvent the wheel and we should not kill the hen that lays the golden egg. Tobacco farmers are the most affected by the prevailing fuel shortages. Those with an irrigated crop are now busy harvesting. There is a lot of trailer work involved at this crucial stage and this requires a lot of fuel as tobacco has to be transported from the fields to curing barns and then to the auction floors.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Shadreck Makombe said farmers should be allowed to access fuel directly from the National Oil Infrastructure Company (NOIC).