FARMERS have intensified land preparation following the rains received in some parts of the country last week, with the Government urging them to start planting maize from next week.
According to the Meteorological Services Department (MSD), the country would start receiving effective rains from mid-November.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr John Basera, said: “As soon as farmers receive effective rains next week, as predicted in the MSD report, which states that we might receive effective rains mid-November, they need to quickly plant.
“Planting early is always good, but farmers need to stay guided by the rainfall patterns of their respective areas.
“This is why we have equipped our extension officers with all the essentials to help our farmers make informed decisions starting from the planting stage.”
Farmers, he said, need to plant crops suitable for their agro-ecological regions, grow different varieties and practise staggered planting.
“This ensures that even if the season is faced with inconsistent rainfall, one or more of the crops will produce good results,” he added.
Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services chief director Professor Obert Jiri revealed that progress under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme has been impressive.
“To date, 2 466 733 have undergone training. Farmers in high-potential areas must plant long- and medium-season varieties of seed and those in Region Three are to plant traditional grains and sunflower due to their short-season qualities, while Region Four and Five with less rains should exclusively stick to traditional grains such as sorghum, pearl millet, sunflower and cowpeas, which tolerate long dry spells and perform well with little rains,” said Professor Jiri.
Grain Marketing Board (GMB) chief executive officer, Mr Rockie Mutenha, said they are pulling all the stops to ensure smooth transportation of Pfumvudza/Intwasa inputs.
“We mobilised transport from local transporters, District Development Fund (DDF) and CMED to assist with inputs movement.
“GMB also introduced a fleet of 30 tractors and trailers to assist with the movement of inputs to those remote areas and provide its own fuel on a stop-order recovery basis to contracted transporters in need of fuel.”
“This facility is across 87 depots countrywide. Fuel is already being issued to transporters in need across the country.”
A snap survey by The Sunday Mail in Mashonaland West province showed that most commercial farmers have already completed land preparations, while Pfumvudza farmers are applying final touches.
Banket farmer, Mr Wiseman Chanetsa, said: “We don’t normally plant very early in this part of the country but we have a small portion that we are irrigating to sell as green mealies.” – The Sunday Mail
