Just been wondering what its must be like being a pet in Zims and what they must think of all that is going on here. Hmmm…hold that thought. Today I saw the new $500 000 000.00 note (That’s 500 million Zimbabwe dollars for all you in the Diaspora who cannot fathom our nations new found fascination with zeros). Now before we get all giddy with get excitement, let do the math’s on this new found…um… national treasure - it cannot buy a litre of milk and if you try to squeeze three loaves of bread (not sliced mind you) out of the supermarket, using this note, you’ll probably be stopped at the door. By sunset it’ll be worth less than US$2.
Started a new job on a rose farm, so it’s been hectic trying to get stock control and budgeting systems into place, but I’m getting there. Good to see that agriculture is still alive in Zims, considering the battering it’s been subjected to over the last 8 years or so. Although our agri-sector is on life support, the economy as a whole is in need of a resurrection, of the “Lazarus come forth” variety. Prices have a life of their own and already scarce goods are beyond the reach of most of us. I mean, if you see packs of imported milk on the supermarket shelves at unaffordable prices, you may as well go home and tell the wife, “Honey there is no milk at the shop.” Of course what you really mean is, “There is no milk for us.” Even pet food is scarce and the imported brands cost more than our own food. So it was no surprise when three weeks back I could not find any food for the 4 kitties and Kaiser the dachshund, all waiting with hope written all over their little faces at home. After three days of scouring Harare for anything resembling pet food I returned home, unsuccessful and had to contend with the nibbling of my ankles by 3 hungry (and understandably cheesed off) cats. It was when Oscar (the 4th fairly large black cat) sauntered in at sunset expecting to find supper that I realized that I had to act quickly before getting my ankles gnawed into oblivion. So… I check the existing stocks to find not enough to go round, so I am forced to dig into the pantry and part with my tinned meat and tinned pilchards (large tins) in my bid to keep the …um… ravenous felines and a rather timid Kaiser, at bay. Not for the faint hearted.
If the man had any sense he’d have a few rats and niloticus breams hanging in that pantry of his ready for us to munch on twice a day. What the hell is wrong with these people? Over the last couple of years they’ve been getting slack. Even they have cut down on their meals and they expect us to do the same! What happened to the occasional steak we were treated with once in a while? And what in heavens name do they have against milk? We never see it. All we see now is this power stuff they seem to guard with their lives and which finds its way into that hot liquid that they scald their mouths trying to drink (usually in a hurry) each morning? And what’s up with this … touchy feely urge that they have around us cats? I mean I’m a male and he is a man. Duh! What if one of the other toms saw me getting cuddled by …this man? And what of…whoa, there he goes towards the pantry again – maybe I can persuade him to…damn! Turned back towards this desk and this blasted pc. Better get off this chair then…
I think it’s important that we work to boost our capacity to grow food here in Africa. Given that the whole world is facing a food crisis in one form or another, it may be wise to consider investing our time and resources into growing as much of our food as possible on a large commercial scale. Even so called peasant farmers need to change their mindset from one of growing on a subsistence scale to growing as a business. I mean there’s no point in dishing out all this land if the people don’t have the mindset and are not empowered with the wherewithal they need to build up a viable farming enterprise that will contribute to restoring food security. I’m getting pretty tired of having to import some of my food stuffs from Down South.
