The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
THE Government has moved in swiftly to expedite the distribution of inputs under the Special Agriculture Production Programme for the 2017/18 farming as part of its efforts to ensure a good yield.
Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said most of the beneficiaries under the Special Agriculture Production Programme popularly coined as Command Agriculture had finished land preparations. He said the distribution of seed was in progress while that of fertilisers and chemicals would commence soon.
“Fuel has been distributed and I believe most farmers have finished land preparations. Most seed has been collected and some deliveries have been made to farmers in most of the areas, especially those that went to collect the seed for themselves at SeedCo. The only problem we are facing is delivering of fertilisers and chemicals, this has been largely due to the challenges that were being faced by the manufacturers and suppliers. However, modalities are being put in place to rectify that anomaly and as I speak some deliveries have been made,” said Dep Minister Marapira.
However, farmers from the Matabeleland region that spoke to Sunday Business said inputs under the Government’s scheme are still to be received, a situation that might threaten the potential anticipated yield.
ZFU president Retired Major Abdul Credit Nyathi said inputs for Command Agriculture should start being distributed to beneficiaries for the purposes of planning as well as ensuring early planting.
“By now inputs such as your seeds and fertilisers should have been availed to farmers because we are approaching mid-December and the rains are upon us and if farmers fail to get them in the next coming two weeks it might jeopardise their potential anticipated yield. Both seed and fertiliser producers had promised adequate supplies but now they are silent, we aren’t sure about their capacity and if they will meet the demand,” said Rtd Maj Nyathi.
He said it was of paramount importance to crop summer maize within its timelines so as to ensure that its growth is not affected by climatic conditions as well as to avoid the crop from overlapping into other seasonal crops.
“Normally maize is associated with warm temperatures and its growth and maturity levels are better during summer than in winter when there are low temperatures and as such farmers are advised to crop earlier to avoid their maize crop overlapping into the winter season where we normally grow our wheat,” said Rtd Maj Nyathi.
He applauded Government for extending Command Agriculture to farmers relying on rain-fed cropping stating that the move would ensure a much improved yield.
“Much of the arable hectarage is in the hands of farmers farming in dry land and Government’s move to extend Command Agriculture to include rain-fed cropping was based on last season’s experience whereby we received plenty rainfall. If the programme included farmers in dry land last season the harvest we would have attained would have been much high and thus with the inclusion of these farmers this season we anticipate an improved yield,” said Rtd Maj Nyathi.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union Matabeleland North chairman Mr Winston Babbage said the delay in the distribution of fertilisers and seed would make it difficult for farmers to attain their set target of producing at least five tonnes of maize per hectare.
“Farmers will find it difficult to attain the set target of achieving five tonnes per hectare if they don’t get their inputs allocation within the next few weeks. It’s going to be difficult to catch up with the rains now,” said Mr Babbage.
He however, commended the Government for accommodating dry land farmers under Command Agriculture citing that most of the farmers owning such land were financially incapacitated to purchase adequate inputs. -@DNsingo
