Nestle Buys Milk From Farms Mugabe Seized

Zimbabwean leader's wife sells 265K gallons a year to food giant

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 28, 2009 4:43 AM CDT

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Nestle Buys Milk From Farms Mugabe Seized — President Robert Mugabe walks during the inauguration ceremony, watched by his wife Grace, at the State House in Harare, Sunday, June, 29, 2008. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Nestle is buying up to 265,000 gallons of milk a year from a Zimbabwean farm seized from white landowners and now owned by the wife of Robert Mugabe. Grace Mugabe has taken over at least six of the country's most valuable farms, reports the Telegraph. As a Swiss company, Nestle is exempted from tough US and EU sanctions targeting Zimbabwe's leaders, including Mugabe's wife, who is said to own about 12,000 acres of farmland.

Nestle does not deny it does business with Mrs. Mugabe's farm but told the BBC it had no contract, making only cash-on-delivery purchases after its other suppliers collapsed. "Had Nestle decided to close down its operations in Zimbabwe, the company would have triggered further food shortages and hundreds of job losses," it said.
(More Robert Mugabe stories.)

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