The Sunday News
Lynnia Ndlovu, Farming Reporter
MATABELELAND South Province is massively mobilising farmers in the province to participate in the $500 million Government initiated command agriculture programme aimed at producing two million tonnes of maize on 400 000 hectares of land.
The province has been given a target to grow maize on 2 500 hectares under the programme. The Government is already inviting farmers intending to take part in the programme to register with Agritex officers in their respective areas.
The scheme is aimed at ensuring maize self-sufficiency going forward and registered farmers will be provided with inputs and irrigation equipment.
Making a presentation during a drought mitigation meeting in Gwanda on Wednesday, Matabeleland South acting provincial Agritex officer Mr Judiya Ncube said farmers needed to understand that the programme was voluntary.
“I urge farmers in Mat South to partake in this programme at it will also benefit their families. Inputs will be provided and all that is needed is labour and the land. In our province the land is very dry and we are depending on irrigation yields, therefore I urge local irrigation schemes like Makwe, Silalatshani, Mankonkoni and many others that have a potential of producing a minimum of five tonnes per hectare to register so that it becomes a success.
So far the registration is going on well in many districts in the province, we have received quite a number of promising farmers that I will release next week,” said Mr Ncube.
Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who chairs the Cabinet Committee on Food Security and Nutrition, recently said Cabinet had tasked the Ministries of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development and Environment, Water and Climate to identify farms, farmers and water bodies for the implementation of the command agriculture initiative, targeting 400 000 hectares in which at least half of that would be irrigated land.
VP Mnangagwa said the Government was negotiating lines of credit with various financial institutions to fund the programme and at least 2 000 farmers are expected to sign a performance contract for three consecutive seasons.
