The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
MORE than 2 000 hectares has been planted under the winter wheat crop in the Matabeleland region this season, an increase from the 1 653 hectares planted the previous season.
This season saw Matabeleland putting 2 408 hectares under wheat with Matabeleland South contributing 1 750 hectares while Matabeleland North accounted for 658 ha. However, Department of Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) provincial officials said the area planted under wheat slightly increased this year. Matabeleland South Agritex provincial agronomist Mr Innocent Nyathi said the 1 750 hectares was put under wheat with most of the crop at an early vegetative stage.
“So far, we are standing at 1 750 hectares in terms of the area planted, last year we had 1 120 hectares that we planted. Our system is such that we engage farmers with a capacity of achieving five tonnes per hectare, which is our bench mark . . . ,” he said.
Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda)’s Antelope-Trek and Ingwizi estates were the biggest contributors cropping 600 and 580 hectares respectively while their out growers’ schemes also contributed 100 hectares each with the remaining coming from communal irrigation schemes.
“We are expecting an average of seven tonnes per hectare but from schemes like Arda we are likely to attain nine tonnes per hectare,” said Mr Nyathi.
He, however, noted that there was a delay in the distribution of inputs largely due to fuel shortages. Mr Nyathi bemoaned the low hectarage being cropped in the province particularly pointing out that there was much that needed to be done to increase production at communal irrigation schemes.
“We are not happy with the issue of hectarage. Of course, we also have about four commercial farmers in Beitbridge and two Arda outgrowers’ schemes contributing but most communal schemes are not taking farming as a business, with them participating we could be having more than 2 000 hectares put under wheat. As a province we can make our own food but there is a need for a paradigm shift,” he said.
One of the province’s biggest irrigation schemes, Silalatshani in Insiza District with a total of 437 hectares only planted 30,2 hectares this season. Matabeleland North crop and livestock specialist Mr Vukile Mahlangu said the province managed to crop a total of 658 hectares again with Arda’s Jotsholo being one of the biggest contributors weighing in with 250 hectares with Mary Ellen Farm also contributing the same.
Last year 533 hectares were cropped in the province with about 2 500 tonnes of wheat being realised from the harvest.
Mr Mahlangu said the area put under wheat could be bigger but availability of adequate water sources was a constraint.
“Because of recurrent droughts water levels at most water sources have been depleting, the wheat crop natural needs a lot of water that explains why most farmers didn’t commit because when planning one needs to look at dam levels,” he said.
Mr Mahlangu further said: “The other major challenge is the issue that the whole province is still to intensify in terms of mechanisation regards to the availability of equipment such as combine harvesters and functioning of irrigation equipment.”
Wheat farming is a major cropping activity and the commodity is highly valued particularly its product, bread.
Bread has become a key staple food in Zimbabwe thus making wheat the second most important crop after maize.
The Government is targeting to increase the production of winter wheat hectarage from 24 186 hectare achieved in 2018 to 80 000 hectares this season, with contract farming financed by a commercial bank and other private players and a target yield of five tonnes per hectare.
@DNsingo
