Posted on 11/10/2005 1:02:41 PM PST by shield
GOVERNMENT is next week expected to sign an agricultural agreement with China that could see vast tracts of land being ceded to the fast-growing nation.
The deal, envisaged to boost agricultural production, should be signed on November 8 and will be guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance.
The deal will be in two phases. The first component is a direct government-to-government agreement while the other has an element of private sector participation.
Government is expected to enlist private sector participation under the Zimbabwe Development Company, represented by Zimbabwe Farmers Union vice-president Edward Raradza.
Government-owned China State Farms Agribusiness Corporation and the ZDC are set to sign the partnership agreement early next week, aimed at reviving several derelict former white farms that were taken over by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority.
The loss-making quasi-government agricultural arm acquired about 20 estates during the land reform programme. Among the expropriated estates where joint ventures are expected to be undertaken are Kondozi Farm, now lying derelict in the Odzi area of Manicaland, Foyle Estate in the rich Mazowe valley, Charter Estate in the Beatrice area, Greaslee in the Goromonzi district, Charleswood Estate, taken from former MDC MP Roy Bennett in Chimanimani, Bosbury and Essex in Mashonaland West.
Reserve Bank authorities have been advocating the promotion of ventures between new farmers, former operators as well as new investors to increase productivity and hasten skills transfer.
Agriculture minister Joseph Made confirmed that there were a number of initiatives taking place. These initiatives, he said, are on an individual company basis while others were joint-venture agreements between the two countries.
"There are various private sector initiatives which will be represented by Edward Raradza of Farmers World and others," Made said. Farmers World is mainly engaged in the sale of farm inputs.
"Government projects will be guaranteed by the Ministry of Finance. Everything is being handled by them."
Yesterday, Raradza confirmed the deal but refused to give further details on the proposed agreement saying: "Why are you in a rush? Just wait for next week."
Government's chaotic land reform programme that involved the forcible take over of white-owned commercial farms to "correct colonial land ownership imbalances" has been a recipe for disaster. It has reduced Zimbabwe from a net grain exporter to a net importer in a space of five years.
Agricultural production levels dropped sharply as commercial farmers took their skills to countries as far flung as Nigeria, Zambia and Mozambique.
Thought this might interest you!
China will park their new aircraft carrier off Nigeria's coast.
Sure. How else do you expect communists to uproot people from their families and send them off to a country that persecutes people who aren't part of their tribes?
This is not good.
This ought to be interesting.
Liebensraum bump ....
Me think that thug has stepped into it, if he thinks whites were wrong to allow to remain in his country just wait till the commie chinese take over. A really bad (stupid) move...
"Free trade".
FYI
Washington is also unhappy about China's close ties with some countries it considers troublesome states -- like Myanmar and Zimbabwe -- and says such ties would have repercussions in other areas.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051017/pl_nm/bush_asia_dc_4
Not likely. Mugabe knows that his country doesn't have the skillset to run farms effectively since he's driven the white farmers out. But he has no problem bringing the Chinese factory farm in to manage them.
Both the Chinese and the former owners of the farms will use local labor in all likelihood for nearly all labor needs.
This article, in a way, explains all the interest by our government in Africa lately. The "free traders" are pushing for the US to pay for AIDS medicine and prevention in Africa, build the infrastructure in Africa, and have an open border with African "workers"-- the mode 4 rule-- (who will probably come here illegally as there doesn't seem to be a plan to change our legal immigration limits from Africa) so that they can rip off remittance money from the American economy like South America does.
We taxpayers will foot the bill to set up Africa for businesses to move there, and it looks like China is going to grab everything, once the US taxpayer has been fully drained. It may be that the "free traders" in our government thought they were going to reap the benefit of all the US tax money being spent their on "trade capacity building", but you know, China is building traditional relationships with Africa, and they are going to pull the rug right out from under the "free traders", and all that tax money and US resources the "free traders" are lavishing on Africa right now will become the property of the Chinese communist party.
You mistake ChiComs for some politically-correct Europeans. If Zimbabweans shoot Chinese people on Chinese-owned land, the Chinese will treat it as an act of war
I've been wondering for a couple of years when the Chinese would make their move in southern Africa. It's resource-rich, and weakly held. All the Chinese need to do is give Mugabe some $$$ and offer to keep him in power and luxury until he dies of old age, and he'll turn over the keys to them.
Zimbabwe's black population is just 12 million. The Chinese can put a million men of military age over there without noticing. And they WILL get lots of volunteers if they tell the settlers they are exempt from the "one child" policy.
If the blacks get annoying, the Chinese will treat them how the cowboys treated the Indians. The Chinese realize that the only way to hold onto the wealth of southern Africa is to put their own people there, and exterminate or drive off the native Africans
ping
Yes, I agree...
Sevveral African nations now have over 3% Chinese population... where it was almost non-existent a few decades ago.
Makes sense. It worked with comrade Xlinton. And if you'll note....Comrade Hitlery is the odds-on favorite for 2008...
Just a coincidence, I'm sure.
I am thinking of all the marriage-aged Chinese men who cannot find Chinese wives. They might be happy with certain of the attractive African women in Zimbabwe. Chinese settlement and intermarriage would result in a rather strong bond with China after even one generation.
bttt
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