The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Farming Reporter
HARVESTING of the winter wheat crop will start this week at the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) owned farms around the country despite the patchy rains received last week in most parts of the country which threatened to delay the process.
Arda chairman Mr Basil Nyabadza told Sunday Farming that harvesting of the winter wheat crop was expected to be completed by the end of this month to pave way for summer maize cropping. Mr Nyabadza said the patchy rains received early last week were not enough to disturb the harvesting of wheat.
“The rains are not much of a threat. Remember they were not sustained and now it’s been a week since it cleared which gives us a window to start harvesting. In actual fact the rains will assist us to prepare the land for the summer cropping season,” he said.
Mr Nyabadza said winter wheat harvesting will start at Arda Trek Antelope Estate at Maphisa Growth Point in Kezi, Matabeleland South Province this week before spreading to other estates around the country.
“After Arda Antelope we will move to Arda Fair Acres in the Midlands and in the next two weeks Arda Jotsholo should start harvesting followed by Arda Ingwizi in Mangwe District. By the end of the month we should be done harvesting at Arda Mbuya Nehanda which will be our last port of call,” said Mr Nyabadza.
Six out of 21 Arda estates are under wheat and the authority is targeting to harvest 15 000 tonnes of the crop this year up from last season’s 5 000 tonnes. Mr Nyabadza said Arda was targeting to double its winter wheat yield to 36 000 tonnes in the next winter wheat farming season.
Arda’s projected yield for this winter wheat season surpasses the 11 000 tonnes target set by the Government at the start of the season. The Government has also set a production target of 30 000 tonnes of wheat next year for Arda but the authority projects to surpass the target.
“Our target is to average between 7,5 and nine tonnes per hectare which should see us delivering an estimated 15 000 tonnes to the market. Next season we are targeting 36 000 tonnes from all our six estates,” he said.
Zimbabwe requires between 200 000 tonnes and 350 000 tonnes of wheat annually but the country has not been able to meet the demand. The country has over the year relied on imports to cover the deficit.
Mr Nyabadza attributed the improvement in winter wheat production at Arda estates to the public private partnerships that the authority entered into. Arda entered into medium term partnerships with private firms last year to revive some of its idle estates, as part of medium to long term measures to get private firms involved in funding agricultural projects at the authorities’ idle estates.
“The PPPs have come with a lot of benefits, among them increasing the capacity of our estates. Some of the immediate benefits include mechanisation and retention of skills within Zimbabwe,” said Mr Nyabadza.
He added that the authority was also looking at value addition on its produce with a maize milling plant going to be set up at Arda Trek Antelope.
“The milling plant will process all produce from Matabeleland. In future we plan to set up a similar plant for wheat as part of our value addition efforts. This is in line with the 10 point plan and Zim Asset,” he said.
Arda is also targeting 75 000 tonnes of maize in the summer cropping season which beckons as part of Government efforts to ensure food security in the country.
@irielyan
