Zimbabwe: Farmers Slam Zesa Power Cuts

Source from:  The Herald  09/26/2012

Farmers' organisations yesterday condemned Zesa Holdings over power cuts they say are affecting the planting of tobacco under irrigation. Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union acting director Mr Shadreck Tsimba accused the power utility of reneging on its promise to supply uninterrupted power this season. "We talked to Zesa and they told us that they are prepared for the season and would provide an improved service compared to last season. "It's now 21 days into the season and the situation we are seeing is not different from last season. It looks even worse. Irrigation is done in cycles and if the cycles are interrupted it is difficult for the farmer to catch up," he said. Executive director of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union Mr Paul Zakariya, echoed Mr Tsimba's sentiments. "It will be very difficult for tobacco farmers this season to produce quality tobacco because of the bad start. This will also affect the yields as most of the crop will not ripen properly. "Farmers are inevitably headed for losses, as most of them will not be able to recover their costs of production and if they had secured loans then the situation will definitely be bad for them," said Mr Zakariya. Enditem