Government gazetted Statutory Instrument 79 of 2017 last Friday which will see farmers who sell inputs and crops linked to Command Agriculture facing a three month prison sentence, a level four fine or both.
Part of the SI reads:
… (any) contract farmer who misappropriates any agricultural inputs; or being in possession of any agricultural input in excess of what he or she needs to produce the contracted produce, fails to return the same to the authorised agency no later than seven days from the date of delivery of the contract produce or if no such date is stated, no later than thirty days after the end of the agricultural season applicable to the contract produce, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level four or imprisonment not exceeding three months or both such fine and imprisonment.
More: Sunday Mail