Pfumvudza/Intwasa inputs distribution according to agro-ecological regions

11 Sep, 2022 - 00:09 0 Views
Pfumvudza/Intwasa inputs distribution according to agro-ecological regions Pfumvudza/Intwasa

The Sunday News

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter

THE Government has reassured the nation that all farmers are going to receive the Pfumvudza/Intwasa inputs which are distributed according to agro-ecological regions of the country to increase productivity and ensure food security.

It has also reiterated that all three million rural households and 500 000 peri-urban and urban households will get the Pfumvudza/Intwasa inputs before the onset of the rainy season.

Chief Director, Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Professor Obert Jiri said  inputs would be distributed to all farmers on the basis of ecological regions to ensure maximum productivity and food security. He said there was no region in the country that was not going to get inputs under the programme.

Professor Obert Jiri

“So, in this new season we are distributing the inputs to all the three million rural households as well as 500 000 urban households. The urban and peri-urban households are supported for one plot, with the three million households. However, we are encouraging the farmers to put at least five plots under Pfumvudza/Intwasa. 

“The distribution is according to agro-ecological regions which means that for the higher potential regions such as regions one, two and some parts of region three which are predominantly maize, those will receive support for two plots of maize, bigger packaging of the 10kg and less of the traditional grains. 

“As we navigate to the lower potential regions four and five and parts of region three, we then support predominantly traditional grain. So, they will have a bigger pocket of sorghum or millet depending on the area. The idea is for us to really match the potential of the area to what does best in that area. That is the agro-ecological matching that we are doing,” said Prof Jiri.

He said the Government was working with a number of ecological region maps which show the rainfalls and the potential and was going to support households in that regard. 

“The matching is predominantly based on rainfall and temperature which is the climatic considerations hence Pfumvudza/Intwasa is a climate-proofing strategy,” he said.

The strategy, he said, also seeks to take into consideration as research has shown, that the country’s soils have generally low PH (a measure of the acidity or basicity/alkalinity) of a soil). 

“Regarding soils, what we have done is that we have mapped the entire country based on PH because we know that PH determines the growth of any crop including maize and traditional grains for food security. So, we are saying we must address the issue of soil PH hence we mapped the PH of soils across the country. Our PH is very low for crop production hence we need to apply lime to improve our soil PH,” he said.

After the distribution of inputs, Prof Jiri said, agriculture extension officers would assist farmers with information on their soil PH and how they should apply lime. Once the inputs are on site at GMB depots and sent to collection centres, a committee for distribution will supervise the distribution, and this process is already underway. 

The committee is chaired by the local councillor who is deputised by representatives of the local chief. The secretary is the extension officer of the ward deputised by the headmaster. It is then completed by representatives of youths, women and other groups as determined by the particular area. The Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, which contributed 33 percent of maize output last year, is expected to anchor the upcoming summer cropping season through supporting three million rural households and 500 000 urban farmers. -@nyeve14

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