News / National
Command Agric harvesting starts
23 Apr 2017 at 08:49hrs | Views
FIRST it was the good rains, then good support from Government and now the final good news - the summer crop is ready and on its way to the granaries.
Harvesting of the summer crop has started in earnest at communal and commercial farms and estates, with officials saying such yields were last witnessed more than 20 years ago. The Government has projected that the country will harvest 2,7 million tonnes of maize in addition to millions more of other crops.
Sunday News last week spoke to farmers and key stakeholders with some communal farmers indicating that from the harvest they were expecting the maize to last them for the next three years. Zimbabwe Farmers Union executive director Mr Paul Zacharia said harvesting has started and indications were that such quantities were last witnessed in the early 1990s.
"This is going to be much bigger than previous years because we had good rains, and Government also supported through the Command Agriculture and the Presidential Inputs Scheme and private companies also chipped in. We last had such a harvest in the early 1990s, I think," he said.
Some communal farmers in Matabeleland North and South, areas which has previously experienced low rainfall and droughts, could not hide their joy at the anticipated yields from their fields. A farmer from Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland North, Mr David Ncube said the grain he was expecting from his fields was likely to last for three years.
"We received a lot of rain this season. At first most people were reluctant to plant because the area normally receives low rains, but for those who managed to plant the results are pleasing. Look the grain is now in the granaries and such quantities were last recorded more than 10 years ago in our area," he said
Another farmer from Esigodini in Matabeleland South Mr Mehluli Mpala said most farmers in the area who had harvested have expressed optimism that this was one of the most successful seasons since the country embarked on the Land Reform Programme around 2000. He said some farmers have formed groups and were seeking advice from the Grain Marketing Board on how they could sell their maize.
"Going forward, I do not even think parents will fail to pay school fees. We will sell maize to pay school fees for our children and inala esiyitshayileyo (the abundant harvest we have) will lessen pressure on other avenues we were using to raise money," he said.
Matabeleland Provincial Agritex officer Mr Dumisani Nyoni said although the yields were way better than previous years, some areas will not record bumper harvest because their crops were affected by the heavy rains and the fall armyworm.
"In some parts of Matabeleland I can confirm that communal farmers have harvested quite a number of tonnes with some families getting as much as six tonnes, while some also got around 0,5 tonnes from their fields," he said.
Arda chairperson Mr Basil Nyabadza told Sunday News that harvesting of the summer maize crop was expected to be completed by the end of May to pave way for winter wheat cropping. Mr Nyabadza said harvesting has started at Arda Trek Antelope Estate in Matabeleland South Province and would spread to other estates around the country.
"We have started harvesting depending on the maturity of the crop. We started in Matabeleland South Province then we move to Midlands, Mashonaland West, Matabeleland North and other provinces. The programme also depends on the economies of scale of our equipment and maturity of the crop. By end of May, I am sure we should be done harvesting," he said.
Mr Nyabadza said he was confident the organisation will achieve its targets.
"It's very possible that we will meet our target. The crop is very good. Get in touch with me in two weeks, that's when I will be able to give you the accurate figures of our projections," he said.
The Arda chairperson said planting of winter wheat had also started at Arda Antelope where about 50 hectares had been cleared as harvesting of the summer maize crop is in motion. He said winter wheat planting was being done concurrently with summer maize crop harvesting.
"We have harvested about 50 hectares of maize at Arda Antelope in Maphisa and we have already planted 30 hectares of winter wheat. We have no reason to wait. We will be planting as we harvest maize," he said.
Mr Nyabadza was, however, not in a position to reveal the total hectarage that will be put under winter wheat, saying that would depend on the availability of water.
"Much depends on the situation of our dams. Siltation is our biggest enemy. Water retention is an important factor. If you look at Jotsholo we've had to sink boreholes. We will need to quickly assess the situation in conjunction with Zinwa before we can say exactly how many hectares we are going to put under wheat," he said.
In the past winter wheat cropping season Arda managed to meet the 11 000 tonnes yield target set by the Government at the start of the season. The Government has set a production target of 30 000 tonnes of wheat this winter wheat season for Arda, and the authority is confident of meeting the target.
Zimbabwe requires between 200 000 tonnes and 350 000 tonnes of wheat annually but the country has not been able to meet the demand. The country has over the years relied on imports to cover the deficit. Summer maize crop production at Arda estates is expected to augment the national yield and guarantee food security in the country, against a backdrop of a severe drought that ravaged the country due to erratic rains last season.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation has been on record saying work to rehabilitate silos countrywide to store the grain has been a success, adding that farmers who wish to sell maize to GMB can collect grain bags from GMB.
Source - zimpapers
