Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made said government has stopped giving free agricultural equipment to farmers and urged them to be self sufficient.
Government for the past 15 years since the beginning of the land reform programme had been dishing out free agricultural inputs and implements to the “new” farmers.
Most of these inputs and implements were given to undeserving characters who would sell  them at the parallel market.
In 2007 government through the Reserve bank disbursed farming implements which included Scotch carts, Tractors, Combined harvesters and were given to top Zanu PF officials and a few who were linked to  the regime.
Most of these implements are still lying idle in areas like police camps (Morris Depot) and unproductive farms.
Addressing agricultural stakeholders gathered at an event hosted by the Tobacco Marketing Board to mark the end of the 2015 Tobacco marketing season in Harare recently , Minister Made said farmers are going to pay for the newly acquired Brazilian farming equipment.
“When we are looking at the irrigation and mechanisation that we are installing it is for the totality of the farmer be it A2, A1, communal and old resettlement and obviously it will come stage by stage in some areas we are focusing on but comprehensively soon we will be announcing the different areas where A2 farmers will also be having some projects,” said Made.
“I want to put it that obviously there will be nothing for free anymore”.
Government in May secured a $98, 6 million loan facility from Brazil and imported agricultural equipment from the Latin American that country.