THE government has partially compensated about 100 farmers since launching its fast-track land reforms in 2000 under which it has confiscated 95 percent of white-owned commercial farms, a Commercial Farmers' Union (CFU) official said this week.

CFU president Colin Cloete said out of 4 500 white commercial farmers whose properties were taken since 2000, only 106 had received partial compensation.

Cloete could however not provide the actual amount the government had paid for the partial compensation or when the remainder of the compensation would be paid.

In its budget proposals for next year, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement has reduced sharply the money it is seeking to pay compensation for seized commercial farms to only $1.3 billion, down from $4.2 billion this year.

Figures released by the CFU this week show that the government has identified 6 037 commercial farms (10.597 million hectares) for compulsory acquisition and delisted 466 farms measuring 865 667.8 hectares.

The figures also show that government has however relisted 388 of the properties (769 671.1 hectares) previously delisted, thereby leaving 5 909 properties now earmarked for the resettlement of landless blacks.

President Robert Mugabe's government has maintained that the British government should pay for the farms being taken for resettlement as part of its obligations under the 1979 Lancaster House agreement in London which led to Zimbabwe's independence.

Mugabe insists that his administration will only pay compensation for improvements made on the farms and not for the land.

A Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement report says the government paid $381 million in the first quarter of this year as compensation for the acquired commercial farms but does not list the number of farmers who were compensated.

Cloete said the CFU was frantically trying to meet Mugabe to clarify the future of white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe before the expiry of a government deadline for them to vacate their farms on August 9.

"It is still not too late and we appeal to our state President for an audience," the CFU chief told a news conference earlier this week.

"The reality is that the lack of trust has prevented a platform for dialogue (but) as farmers we have always stated that an internal solution is the way forward," he said.

White farmers are uncertain about their future as the August deadline set by an amendment to the Land Acquisition Act in May this year fast approaches.

Nearly 3 000 farmers will have to leave their properties on August 9 after the end of the 90-day window during which they are to wind up their farm operations.