6000 households receive farm inputs in Mat South

MORE than 6 000households have received seed maize in Matabeleland South Province under the Presidential Inputs Scheme for the 2013-14 farming season, the provincial Grain Marketing Board (GMB) manager Mr Tavonga Makuvara said.

Speaking during a Matabeleland South Provincial Drought Relief Committee meeting in Gwanda Town yesterday, Mr Makuvara said the province had received 391,71 tonnes of seed maize and 450tonnes of Compound D fertiliser.

"We have dispatched all the inputs that we received and every truck going out is escorted by the police. Out of the 391,71tonnes of seed maize, 63,83tonnes has been dispatched and so far 6 383 households have benefited. Matobo District has the highest number of beneficiaries standing at 4 726.

"Of the 450tonnes of Compound D, 81,5tonnes has been dispatched and 4 298households have benefited and the highest number of beneficiaries being in Matobo District with 3 439.
"We have not yet received any ammonium nitrate," he said.

However, despite that all the districts in the province had received the farming inputs allocations, in some areas the inputs were yet to be forwarded to the beneficiaries as some Members of Parliament wanted to launch the programme in their constituencies before farmers were given the inputs.

The provincial agronomist, Mr Innocent Nyathi, said Beitbridge was one of the first districts to get their inputs allocation but no farmer had received anything as yet.

"The programme is a success in terms of receiving the inputs but in terms of passing on the inputs to the beneficiaries, we are still behind. It is worrying that Beitbridge being one of the first districts to receive their allocation, nothing has so far been dispatched to the farmers," he said.

The drought committee said the delay in the distribution of the inputs to the farmers was an issue of concern as farmers had to take advantage of the first rains as the province was a drought prone area.

Recently, the Metereological Department of Zimbabwe advised farmers in the province to ensure that they utilised the first rains by planting early to improve on food production.

Lack of clarity on the issue of the programme launch in the constituencies was cited as  Matabeleland South provincial administrator Mr Midard Khumalo said there was a need to speed up the inputs distribution process.

"We are also aware of the slow pace of the deliveries. We have to move really fast. We need to speed up the process," he said.

In Matobo District, there were reports of transporters who refused to go beyond Maphisa Growth Point.

Mr Khumalo said the problem had been solved.

"We would like to thank the Zimbabwe Republic Police for the immense support they provided in this programme," he said.

Mr Khumalo warned against politicisation of the distribution of inputs saying all identified beneficiaries should be given the input regardless of their political affiliation.

"The intervention is meant for everyone," he said.

The committee also resolved that it would embark on some monitoring visits to the different districts to see if there was a fair distribution of the inputs.

"We need to get a feel of what is happening on the ground. Tomorrow (today), we will be in Matobo," said Mr Khumalo.