The Sunday News
Ngonidzashe Chiutsi Farming Correspondent
A NON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, Institute of Crop Research in the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will soon introduce high yielding groundnut seed varieties in an effort to improve the production of the crop in the country. ICRISAT country director Dr Mazvimavi Kizito said the NGO developed a number of improved groundnut seed varieties in Malawi, which it was looking forward to introducing in the country.
He said the seed varieties were undergoing a testing process to determine their adaptability to the local conditions before being marketed in the country.
Malawi is reportedly the region’s powerhouse in production of groundnuts and exports the commodity across the world.
“We are breeding improved varieties in Malawi and we have brought them here in Zimbabwe.
“We are testing them here to ascertain if they can adapt to the climatic conditions and the soils of the country,” said Mr Kizito.
He said ICRISAT was conducting the test in partnership with the Government’s research stations.
“We are doing the tests at Matopo Research Centre, Kadoma and Domboshava. We are hoping by the next season they should be released into the market,” he said and added that new seed varieties were fast maturing and produce high yields.
Groundnut production in the country has reportedly gone down by about 40 percent countrywide since 2005 due to a number of challenges such as shortage of quality seeds and poor agronomic practices.
According to the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services, at its peak, which was in 2005 and 2006, Zimbabwe planted 8 000 hectares countrywide but that has since dropped to 4 700 hectares.
The yields are also going down from a high of 0,67 tonnes per hectare in 2004 and 2005 to 0,23 tonnes per hectare in 2012 and 2013.
Reports say poor agronomic practices were affecting groundnut production in the country.
The poor yields were also compounded by high incidence of pests and disease that were affecting crops.
This has resulted in Zimbabwe importing a lot of groundnuts from the region.
ICRISAT regional director Dr Moses Siambi said the institution was working towards resuscitating groundnut production in the country, which has collapsed due to lack of proper seed.
“The groundnut industry collapsed because of lack of proper seed and the marketing structure that was there. Most of the groundnut was being produced by the commercial farmers.
“When the commercial famers left there was no adjustment in the production and marketing of the product. But we are now on the ground and trying to revive groundnut production. We are taking groundnut production to the small holder farmers,” he said.
