The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Government has said preparations for the 2023/2024 summer season are commencing early in order to limit the disruption of logistics in the movement of fertilizers, fuel and other inputs as the year progresses.
Cabinet on Tuesday received an update on the state of preparedness for the 2023/2024 summer cropping programme which was presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka.
Presenting a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Postal and Courier Services Minister, who was the acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said early indications point towards suppressed rainfall amounts during the 2023/2024 summer season.
“Hence the need to strengthen climate-proofed agriculture through improved agro-ecological tailoring of crops, enhancing business advisory services and entrenching the farmer field schools concept. Cabinet wishes to advise the nation that a number of strategies will be implemented to increase productivity of all crops,” said the Minister.
“Including the following, information dissemination and technology transfer by up-scaling the Farmer Field Schools per village concept; intensification of use of digital platforms and online applications; capacity building through intensive in-service training of agricultural extension officers; liming and soil reconditioning; climate proofing and irrigation development.”
He said the other strategies include enhancing input support and availability; ensuring affordable financing; strengthening smallholder and large-scale mechanization; and implementing a Grain Swap Scheme at the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Dr Muswere said the Government Climate–Proofed Presidential Input Programme will target 3.5 million farmers from Communal, A1, Small-Scale Commercial Farming, Old Resettlement and the transient urban cultivation sectors for cereals, oilseeds and legumes.
“The programme will support five Pfumvudza plots per household with an agro-ecological region-specific crop input package for maize, sorghum, pearl millet, soya beans, sunflower, groundnuts, vegetables and African peas. The Zunde RaMambo scheme will support 10 plots for Chiefs, seven plots for headmen and five plots each for village heads,” he said.
The Minster said the Pfumvudza/Intwasa package for each household will be as follows: a 10kg pack of maize seed for farmers in regions 1 and 2; a 5kg pack for those in region 3; and a 2kg pack of either sorghum or pearl millet seed for those in regions 4 and 5.
While each farmer will also receive a 50kg bag of basal fertilizer, top-dressing fertilizer and lime.
He said the package per farmer for other optional crops will be 2kg each for sorghum, sunflower, sugar beans and groundnuts as well as 1kg of pearl millet and African peas.
Minister Muswere added: “Regarding the target for the 2023/2024 Cotton Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, the nation is being informed that two plots of 0.25 hectares will be required for each grower to access inputs. The programme has a tillage component and support for hybrid cotton varieties.”
He said pertaining the Presidential Rural Development Programme, the target for 2023/2024 is to drill 2 200 boreholes, distribute three fruit trees, seed for traditional vegetables and sweet potato vines to 3 million households throughout the country.
While, the type of fruit trees to be grown will be determined by the respective agro-ecological regions.
