Over 5,1 million plots have been prepared for the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme this year, double last year’s total, as more farmers join the programme and existing farmers increase the number of their plots to make more money as well as feed their families.
It needs one to two Pfumvudza plots, depending on what crops are grown, to provide for family food and on-farm needs with the rest of maximum of five plots producing grain, legumes and oil seeds for sale as cash crops. Statistics from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development showed that 5 121 509 plots have been already been prepared and planted compared to 2 859 714 plots planted during the same period last year, with communal farmers leading the way.
The statistics also showed that so far, 2,9 million farmers have been trained under Pfumvudza compared to 2,3 million farmers during the previous season. Under Pfumvudza, farmers can prepare up to five plots.
Depending on the district and the farming region, plots will hold grain, either maize of a traditional grain, legumes, soya and sunflower.
Again depending on the region, grain can be just for farm consumption or can be one the major cash crops.
Input packages include seed, lime, basal fertiliser, top dressing, folia fertilisers, and pesticides.
Pfumvudza is aimed at ensuring the smaller farms are run as proper businesses, with the farmers retaining what they need for on-farm consumption and selling the rest of the harvest.
The training includes business areas such as proper record keeping.
Manicaland has the highest number of plots under Pfumvudza with 848 144 plots followed by Midlands with 828 706 and Mashonaland East with 754 377 plots.
Maize planting has progressed well with 465 707 hectares planted while sorghum planting is now 59 481ha against just 12 210 this time last year, and cotton planting has jumped to 88 856ha compared to 13 166 during the same period last year, as farmers take advantage of the early rains that fell and the early distribution of inputs.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) secretary general Mr Paul Zakariya said the uptake of Pfumvudza concept had increased by 100 percent, a development that will ensure household and national food security.
“Small-holder farmers are seeing the benefits of taking up Pfumvudza. Stakeholders’ encouragement also helped to increase the uptake of the programme. Farmers are doing well this season and the progress shown so far shows a brighter future in farming,” he said.
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust president Mrs Depinah Nkomo said farmers were doing well and a bumper harvest was expected following good rains predicted by the Meteorological Services Department.
“Progress so far is greatly appreciated and we are sure that next year, we are going to produce a good yield. Smallholder farmers are doing well on Pfumvudza but some are facing difficulties in acquiring equipment and inputs to work on their larger portions of land. They used to rely on the draught power but we lost a huge number of our national herd due to tick-borne diseases,” she said.
The Pfumvudza programme, which started with cereals, has now been spread to cotton. Some farmers have joined the programme after noting the positive results recorded by their neighbours last season.
All small-scale farmers are entitled to join Pfumvudza but to show their commitment, they have to undergo compulsory training and prepare their plots, digging seed holes and gathering mulch before they receive their free inputs under the Presidential Inputs Scheme. – The Herald
