It has been confirmed that hundreds of white commercial farmers from Zimbabwe are in advanced stages of relocating to Uganda. Sources making arrangements to facilitate the start of their farming career here say that actual farming should take off in a matter of months.

Several commercial farmers have already visited the country and have shown willingness to invest in the country. Many have gone a step further to make arrangements to formalise their investments in the country. "They are mainly in two groups. There is a group that is visiting for the second time and they are interested in growing vegetables, fruits and flowers. These horticultural farmers want to quickly produce for the customers abroad," said a source at IDEA project.

These horticultural farmers, especially those planning to grow vegetables and fruits are likely to be the first to set up farming enterprises. Sources say the farmers already have customers, particularly in Europe to whom they have been supplying high quality products for a long time.

"They are interested in maintaining the linkage with their European customers and they should start production in the shortest time possible," said the source.

Those intending to grow flowers will be next as these need bigger investment than the vegetable and fruit growers. Tobacco farmers who have shown keen interest to invest big in the countryside have visited for a second time scouting for suitable land to grow tobacco. Tobacco is big time investment. The Zimbabwe tobacco has hitherto enjoyed a good share of the international tobacco market.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa described the coming of the Zimbabweans to Uganda as a positive step in line with the standing government position of attracting investors here.

"Uganda needs people like these who have access to the export market. They can establish a nucleus for smaller farmers to act as out-growers. We have land that was formerly farmed by the government that they can use. This land will not be sold to them but leased for them to cultivate," said Mugerwa.

In case the available government land is all leased out, Mugerwa said that there are large tracts of idle land owned by private individuals who are willing to lease it out. John Magnay of Magric (U) Ltd who is helping setting up the tobacco investments said that the coming of the Zimbabwe growers would be a big boost to the local tobacco industry. He added that there will be large growers who will be looking at developing their own tobacco market.

"They will be producing a different quality product for a different market than that currently grown by our small growers ," said Magnay.

Details about the future plans of the Zimbabwean investors is very guarded for fear of reprisals back in Zimbabwe where they have been ordered to stop farming by President mugabe's government and chased off the farms they had occupied for many decades.