INFORMATION Minister Webster Shamu’s festive cheer was soured somewhat on Christmas Eve when a hailstorm destroyed 35 hectares of tobacco and 20 hectares of maize seeds at his Selous farm.

Several other farmers in Mashonaland West province also lost their crops to the storm.

Shamu’s wife, Constance, said the family would now get nothing from the tobacco at Webcon Farm which was ready for reaping.

"The hailstorm occurred at around 4pm and it also destroyed, totally, about 20ha of maize seeds while the other 15ha was not extensively damaged," Constance told state media.

She added that the tobacco crop had been affected by numerous problems including power cuts adding they had only managed to harvest a few kilogrammes before the storm struck.

"I am deeply affected by this hailstorm attack considering all we went through during the process. Now we have no money to settle some of our bills and paying the workers," she said.

The minister’s wife also complained that although she had sent some of their wheat to the Grain Marketing Board in 2007 they had still not yet been paid.

She added that while most of the crops needed irrigation especially when it was not raining the state-run power utility, Zesa, was failing to supply electricity consistently.