[liFlNA ~CIAL TIl\-IES BUSINESSDAY: 1I'''.'IIV1,businessdayonline.com
Monday os November 2012
Zimbabwean farmers lured to Nigeria struggle for survival 1CAN RICE IN SHONG
omt' fl('opie rrfire al 65 nnd llIovr abroad In ~('nr("h of "'un. r.raham Iialtytnn..-llcd to themid dJ{' of Nh:ena to carve • farm OUI of ImplraJ fnrnt II \'Iil-\ J;'!nua" 200~ nnd the mallf' tann he had ownffi for 40 ""':II"~ in Zim b."l""~ had iu"" tw-m conflsalled
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LllldC"r Ih" cO\lnlTv'~ hmd f.-form
progrnmmr and ,p\l'n In Ihl' ror· me'rilfTTT)'chte[ While packing up. ,\Ir Hally h("ud. NIJl:l'lian p:0vf'morwa, offf'rinji; di!lpos.W"IW'<1 ",tllll" Zim hnhwt'an (<lnn"f' 1.1100 h('("M"
orl:lnd In "':W;U8 iU;I'(' and OQan·up monryl1llnt't'n ('Ii IhMTI ::I,·crp!"!. inchnlinR I~atl\·. Ill' nam,~d hi' (mrn Ift'li '!lOrK- in Yomha
·1 dllJ not want tn t'f'rnmt' iI bunlrUClil myrhHdrMl \Q I IhnuWlt 'whllllht'hrt:\...;!oaY,";my.wimia: now73and stlllon tht' (oum. ihcrt' W3!l mm'here l'lk in Iht'\vorld Ihal ~ wt"R! Rolng to g('llhi~ dumrc: lhls \'o1lS no Plct or charity, The Zimbatr...?nn farmt'tlI wen- pan of an experimt'nl 10 ~ -If commercial fannlngoouJd work- in ,"frica', most populous mlli(m, flalty ~ Or all~ work i\J:Olln, At lndt'pC'nd('nc(' In 19f>o, J'l.il gt"ria WlIIS an agrkulrumJ powl"rhouse. lilt' world"bi~r C'JI:poner of peanuts and p:um 011 8111 petr0leum had lust brt"n disco\'l"red Imd when tilt"oU boom ~Iafl('(t rarmin~ W3.~ fOl}:Onen, Tod"",'. '" pcrrt'nl of tiN! counlrv'st"XpIJn n"Wntw5 mnlt from 011 and ga'\. Allhou~h aRlicul!urt' i\U'OWll'1 fot II jX'f ccnt of gtO!I\ dom~uc product and L",hf'cOIlOtry', hi~I emr!~TT, nlO"illann\.reRllal! and yif'I(L~ are low PeTcaphngnn\ Ih i1l pmduction hall bern decJinin~ for a decade, thf' agrlcuilUre mim~II')' ')a}~ and NJ~ria ha~ be('omt' incn:ao;lnf\:h, reliant on Ctop~ Arown alJrtH'ld 10 F~d "",fnst rxpandlngpopulatlnn, 111i" war il lwcamf' Ihf' world's lalgt"'<1 Imponf'l of ri((' and I~ e.J:. peeled 10 hll\' 2,-t~m mrUir Inn.l("S In 2012.. arcortilnp: III the US De, pilrllnrnl of AKTkulture, It l'!ial~ II blglmponel oFwheilt. "iugar and fI"ih.Thr rnod Impon bW ofSIOon i.. growing alii per aont ~ year, whirh Is -fisr-aI.Iv un~U~Illl1\ shit!, and m:d,e'!i no Konomic or political serui': :\~wumi .\d,.qna. agriculhllr ..,ir' .11'(, tnld Ihl' F"'""
earlle !his _.t lni,- abollt half of Ki~C'na''!i ,"m her.ta.rf'", of M;tble IIUld I wed, accnrdinf.; to Ihr I ")fl ~ an:1 ~~indluraJ ()q!;mll!iaU<JIl.
an:t thr dimalr is qliJ.;lhle for m mv .. ""'~ Indudinli ri~, ~\\'-c han IIThis pou·ntlal. !laYs Adl.'sln • U '011
can', ('l,II poI.':1dal.'"
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011 arri\"allil Ni~l-'rta "ilh. hi! ""'ifI!. HaTt) and hl~ 7jmbabwnn cnlleag\les;aSho~gaFarm~, ~ared
Iht' land and t!- h buill
r.: t' r: ir. p lS5lbl .. In' :Jd II. -v I¥IlS :- :Im Icd 0 pl.ll!1 "ThI ~,Nfli I h-n ,,1 ~I' d 5OvN-' ;1.' 801 I C" .DiM' Jai' '.1 r u tv ,tIV -lU cdI'd n s: C h tl Ii"" '"1,,,1 iT "I 'rna. ron OQ-r'1ghi§ nrod.JC(-' ,on ro,l( " n a flour
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r.h'ctridry ~n,1 limning t-''11.lp menl\V'I!1"ep:OY1r.k-'dhyJo,."Yiafi fe,
alld, ronso:Tium of ba:1k Nht., lO'Jk.:>~hal1!ln(hro;;;hllllr PII) 1 pl·t in cash llwsoiJ \\ -as~oodhlltlh!"le_:t' problC"1lU. Fenf1.i'ier was pcK'r q~laJ by and~. The' pro:l~IW d tnigation ~"O;tcms WNr nevnL despil~ the 'arm! beint; 'n",,;lI 'W mjl- Irom h ~iI:er Rj\~ li~
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The b~51.WUf~~'WIDo finding f:n 'R to kl'"('p Ihl' f;!fTI1 nmnlng. In Xigrria 11'lIdlng r.lI~5 arr high, :11 ?(1 Jll'r ("enl or moo·, lind e-..-en 'lie, hanb art' rl'iu.'Ia,.,' 10 dl'al wuiJ f;Hml"r~. SinAie,dlgJI. Ion", u m! 10 0 IhRI nrl' f"r; 1K1I1')' fOf e r,lml'n:; ;"1 1 aRrle II,un re nOf oF."(I '1 lIOll (he eh IIl'n!!;!''!i .... m
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Sh )ngrt. fivl of ht 0 ginal a:rmen hl,'r i"!1 Xip:eria. In
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""'3\\." II !', "-hi~h brought in lo\: It: 7jrnh hwran farTnl'r< in _ 16.o1ly 1n rl'''··.n\,al '(Jldlng 10 11 tty. 1fT (-' lOll' 1 W<l1k-
Q\""< ·t'nl IR monlh\' I w,~~ lhin!,: on Ihl" ~mel! Jf:m oil mit" 11i\ fru'<Ir:Hion:<; an" "h:uf'd hy "lI1e ~i!l:t'rian~ who h'hr lriro In htNk inlflromm(,lrial aj.:Jkuhul1' Al!rniyl \dpwu~i. an rlrctr;c-al t!nItilll'l-'r who rl'tumnl home frolll Ihl' lit.: In 20llt;, "~nll-'d to W't up a farm J:fflwing gmin in "warn ~1i\le In:<;lt'ad, he look o\·rr hi~ f:ltller'~ ("a~hewnull"'mrr~~illg faClon ~ror Nip;('ria'~ ~ak(', we know Ihill 'hI' rnC"u~ h;'l~ to hp primary prmiunlnn hf'('.. u~ewt'ha\'e 160m pl'llpl!' Imd 111f'\' nl'f'd fnod. he
Ing !",a\ m\""'Il-'l[" hf'
Only about half of l\'igeria's 7501 hectares of arable land is used, according to the Food and Agricul tural Organisation, and the climate is suitable for many crops, incl udi ng rice
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·We should 001 bf' importing a ~;nglf' groin of riC(', RUlthr right I'nflhlioR rondilion, for ranninRIIkf' Io.ad~ rilil. POIWT and finance, are nOI VM Ihere' 'If'! Ihe rdorm ('frOrlS nf ·\d ('~in1l, may be ~!arting 10 havf' a pn~ilt\"('
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Sharp admits its survival is in doubt Milrch wilh a nct 10SI 0'V4qJb~ S5.6bn), "'-orN! than Ihe n, lbn
" harp hilladmint"d "malerial
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doubl' aboul 115 ability 10
!tay in bu~mM-'l ali II wilmrd
of ~ second year of IreDrd lo ... ~e~ derpl'nln", the gloom rur'
roundlng lapan·5 once·domlnant conSlIml'r plt'(ttnnlo industry, lht! century· old cnmpi\n),qid It 1!Ip{,..:1ed to end Ihe finannal y(-'ar
klo.ilhadprediaedin-\\~ '"~, ynr 1I101! Y395hn F.lled Inve~lImenl~ In Iquid
cry~f.,1 displ~'
molnufaaurinG ue 10 bla.me ior till' 105.~e\' The Wilmlng cam!' I d.1Y OIIft!'1 Pilnasonlc ~unned !nvc~tou h~ projl'cting 11 '!il'l'"ond rOnleeuljve SlObn lou. Panil~onic'''i ~h;Hr pnce drorpcda funhl!r 19 p ..... et!Of ~"l'<1erda~'
51 ;u , a' (I '''nalor:'
along
'" :h Son)'. r! h --:'lOS: )nCum .. •· f{ e ... of /a;J.ul ~ tar;: chnolngy (o ..-,at: l's. "-0 tbur hil\'r '<ufferl'd a~
gt ,1J:l1 rrj! s fot fl2t~n Irll"· \isi JIIS and ltlo,~r h(, J5l!h ~Id ifrms p ~ &t':: "lImt: I'I! ~ nt lmp(-'tilir.m m OWl' I e(J~1 manufacturers (' H'wl-f'rr In A..s1 h~'C lurned the p" .dyet Ihat )nre Jntl~rplnned Ih ! III rl!s.~ Inln fir: ncial mill 111:"1 I. Last Vf!1t lit tI n"C' woup. (I
turreled a eomhined nel
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)"1.610' a flgurrl~1 Sharp and hn
.ucnie ~in rum!' c1o~f' 10 malchin~ b~ru.-cen Ihcm Ihl~ year, 'Sharp i~ :n clrcumllanet'~ In which material duubt .lboUl il'" a."i sumed ftoingeOllcrm i'!i found'- the eomp.my said In "~11IIement. Fund!ng prnb!em~ 1\rlslng from ballooning In<.~ htwe forcf'd Sharp 10 mortgage ,,, h(-'adquanel$ and :;eel;. ao invcstnlf'nl from Terry Gou, lhr Taiw"n~ billionaitr (!"Iundt'l
of lion Hai Prrri~tnn Indu~try. ",·hieh manwlCI\1J1"I "pple iPhon!"< and Sony PI~y<;lallon vid,..., ",anll' coo~I~.
A deal wilh Mr Gou ha:<; brl'n in limbo since it Wl'I:<; 1"n!;lIlil'elv agreed in M"lch. as Ihe IWtl sides haggleol'C'r It!rm~. Gou had agreed 10 pay Y67bn for a 10 per ctnl""ak" in Sharp Mild pllrtinl ownt!l"hip of .n UndrfU-!ltd dlcplay rllclory nrlll (hala, but has been ruchinRSharp 10
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