Opinion / Columnist
Presidential well-wishers special agricultural inputs scheme boosts production
18 Feb 2015 at 07:39hrs | Views
Farmers in Zimbabwe cherish the availability of the Presidential Well-Wishers Special Agricultural Inputs Scheme which His Excellence, President Robert Mugabe generously extends to them every year for boosting agricultural production. The scheme covers all the country's ten provinces in the country, and it is composed of an assortment of farming inputs parceled out like seeds, cotton seed, fertilizers, pesticides, dipping chemicals and other veterinary medicines which are distributed according to the needs of each particular farming region.
This scheme is consistent with President Mugabe's Land Reform Programme which redistributed land to former peasant farmers so that they could improve their standard of livelihood through agricultural production. There is a steady growth in output from farming activities since the inception of the fast-track land reform programme in 2000.
The Presidential Inputs Scheme goes a long way in assisting the needy like orphans, the infirm and the elderly persons. This is a fundamental rescue package for them as they are managing to grow sufficient food to feed themselves despite their disadvantaged conditions.
The prohibitive prices of farming inputs made the country to struggle for food security, but President Mugabe availed funds for the input support programme to ensure to boost food security at household level. Subsistence farmers are managing to yield enough food to feed their families and produce a substantial surplus for the market to earn cash for other household needs.
Farmers' unions welcome the Presidential Well Wishers Inputs Scheme for ensuring household food security to 1, 6 million families countrywide. They say the move scheme is important, especially to smallholder farmers who have difficulties in sourcing their own inputs. This was President Mugabe's Economic Sanctions Buster strategy after escalation of prices for crop and livestock inputs which became far-reaching for majority. The scheme is tailor-made to sustain the lives of farmers and their farming operations.
Normatively the scheme every year, each household gets 10 kilogrammes of maize seed; 50kg compound D, 50kg ammonium nitrate and 50kg lime fertilizers. Those in semi-arid regions which receive low annual rainfall levels get 5kg each of sorghum or millet seed. These provisions are adequate to facilitate households to produce enough food to feed them. They can easily achieve this through the expert guidance of Agriculture Extension (Agritex) Officers who are deployed all over the country.
According to farming experts, "smallholder farmers should only plant the 0, 2 hectares intended for the inputs, and not spread the fertiliser over a large area as that would diminish the yield."
Farmers applaud the scheme for distributing lime to improve the soil composition so as to resuscitate its productivity. Some farmers give testimony that soils in most communal areas did not have good property due to over use. "The lime will correct the soil potential hydrogen (pH), the acidity or alkalinity of the soil," said an Agritex Officer.
This subsidy agriculture inputs programme in the country is seen as a role model by a growing number of African Governments and International Development and agriculture agencies. President Mugabe always led, like the example that he set on the land issue. The rest of Africa is contemplating on how best they can take the course of his foot-prints on the land issue in the post colonial era as part of Africa's decolonization of the continent.
In contemporary times, African farmers are the only ones who were not receiving input support for agricultural production from their respective Governments, while their counter- parts in other continents, such as, Europe and Asia are receiving more than US $300 billion in Government support programmes annually. Food security is a cardinal factor of national security. A hungry nation is prone to multitudinous challenges. So we need to nip such probable consequences in the bud by empowering our farmers.
The Presidential Well-Wishers Special Agricultural Inputs Scheme was launched during the 2008-2009 agricultural season, and since then there is an ever-increasing number of farmers who are cushioned every year in their farming operations.
This scheme is consistent with President Mugabe's Land Reform Programme which redistributed land to former peasant farmers so that they could improve their standard of livelihood through agricultural production. There is a steady growth in output from farming activities since the inception of the fast-track land reform programme in 2000.
The Presidential Inputs Scheme goes a long way in assisting the needy like orphans, the infirm and the elderly persons. This is a fundamental rescue package for them as they are managing to grow sufficient food to feed themselves despite their disadvantaged conditions.
The prohibitive prices of farming inputs made the country to struggle for food security, but President Mugabe availed funds for the input support programme to ensure to boost food security at household level. Subsistence farmers are managing to yield enough food to feed their families and produce a substantial surplus for the market to earn cash for other household needs.
Farmers' unions welcome the Presidential Well Wishers Inputs Scheme for ensuring household food security to 1, 6 million families countrywide. They say the move scheme is important, especially to smallholder farmers who have difficulties in sourcing their own inputs. This was President Mugabe's Economic Sanctions Buster strategy after escalation of prices for crop and livestock inputs which became far-reaching for majority. The scheme is tailor-made to sustain the lives of farmers and their farming operations.
Normatively the scheme every year, each household gets 10 kilogrammes of maize seed; 50kg compound D, 50kg ammonium nitrate and 50kg lime fertilizers. Those in semi-arid regions which receive low annual rainfall levels get 5kg each of sorghum or millet seed. These provisions are adequate to facilitate households to produce enough food to feed them. They can easily achieve this through the expert guidance of Agriculture Extension (Agritex) Officers who are deployed all over the country.
According to farming experts, "smallholder farmers should only plant the 0, 2 hectares intended for the inputs, and not spread the fertiliser over a large area as that would diminish the yield."
Farmers applaud the scheme for distributing lime to improve the soil composition so as to resuscitate its productivity. Some farmers give testimony that soils in most communal areas did not have good property due to over use. "The lime will correct the soil potential hydrogen (pH), the acidity or alkalinity of the soil," said an Agritex Officer.
This subsidy agriculture inputs programme in the country is seen as a role model by a growing number of African Governments and International Development and agriculture agencies. President Mugabe always led, like the example that he set on the land issue. The rest of Africa is contemplating on how best they can take the course of his foot-prints on the land issue in the post colonial era as part of Africa's decolonization of the continent.
In contemporary times, African farmers are the only ones who were not receiving input support for agricultural production from their respective Governments, while their counter- parts in other continents, such as, Europe and Asia are receiving more than US $300 billion in Government support programmes annually. Food security is a cardinal factor of national security. A hungry nation is prone to multitudinous challenges. So we need to nip such probable consequences in the bud by empowering our farmers.
The Presidential Well-Wishers Special Agricultural Inputs Scheme was launched during the 2008-2009 agricultural season, and since then there is an ever-increasing number of farmers who are cushioned every year in their farming operations.
Source - Stewart Mrewa
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