Farmers have now planted 134 221 hectares of traditional grains, more than triple the 37 428 hectares they had planted by this time last year as planting progresses with farmers diversifying to ensure they get a harvest.
Under the Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme) this season, the Government is targeting 312 890ha under traditional grains such as sorghum and pearl millet with a projected combined yield of 318 383 tonnes. This is reflected in the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme where farmers in areas unsuitable or marginal for maize have traditional grain seed packs instead, to boost the chances of a decent harvest, and even in the wetter areas are advised to plant one plot to traditional grain.
According to a weekly update on Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services reveals that pearl millet planting is now at 57 949ha compared to 16 396ha last year. Sorghum planting is at 65 931ha compared to 14 916ha last year, soya bean is at 8 970ha compared to 5 339ha in the same period last year and sunflower jumped to 1 371 ha compared to 777ha last year.
Maize has been a popular crop, with many farmers producing it at commercial level, while others in the drier parts of the country have also continued to try their luck despite low yields and the risk of a write-off. The value attached to traditional grains had been so low that some were viewing the crops as varieties for the vulnerable.
But traditional crops such as sorghum, millet and rapoko are slowly becoming popular as people are becoming aware of their high nutritional value and improvement in technology which has seen the introduction of machinery for processing them.
Traditional grains, indigenous to Africa, were the staple grain for sadza right up into the 1920s, although maize, a Central American crop, had reached Zimbabwe several centuries earlier through trade routes from the coast but was seen more as a vegetable, being roasted as green mealies rather than ground to meal. Easier processing and potentially higher yields on good soil in a wetter rainy season saw maize production rise. Modern technologies to process traditional grain without the double cooking and processing once needed have helped restore its popularity, and the processed meal is now a popular item on the shelves of upmarket supermarkets.
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust president, Mrs Depinah Nkomo said most farmers were now considering traditional crops because of favourable returns.
“I encourage most women to grow traditional grains as they perform better than maize and grow even under drought. They are also offered good prices for sunflowers. We are also sure of food security if we also prioritise traditional grains farming,” she said.
Mrs Nkomo said the condition of small grains is satisfactory adding that more farmers are busy right now increasing the hectares under these grains.
Recently, Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Dr Shadreck Makombe said farmers were diversifying to traditional crops because of their high demand on the market and the awareness campaigns being carried out on the importance of healthy foods.
“More people are now health-conscious with some restaurants now even serving traditional foods. Long back, demand for traditional food was low, as the food was perceived to be for the poor. Now the affluent are the ones who demand traditional food and this has increased the demand for the food on the market,” he said. – The Herald
