Heatwave hits Manicaland province

A prolonged dry spell across parts of Manicaland Province is raising fears of widespread crop failure, jeopardising what had been a promising start to the farming season.

Crops including maize are wilting, while tobacco is showing signs of false ripening due to sustained high temperatures. Some farmers have gone an entire month without rainfall, leaving smallholder communities - largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture - particularly vulnerable.

Skumbuzo Todhlana, chairman of the Middle Sabi Farmers Association, said the dry spell has stalled maize and rapoko growth. Irrigation efforts have also been hampered due to power disconnections by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, leaving water from the Save River unused.

"The dry spell here has prolonged and our crops are under severe threat. The maize is at the flowering stage, which requires a lot of water for it to produce a healthy cob. In the past, we used to supplement rainfall with irrigation, but the irrigation schemes were switched off due to farmers' debts. We have been left exposed," Todhlana said.

Despite the challenges, drought-tolerant traditional grains such as finger millet, groundnuts, round nuts, and rapoko have remained resilient, offering a glimmer of hope.

Edward Dune, president of the Tobacco Farmers Union Trust, highlighted that excessive heat is causing metabolic imbalances in dryland tobacco, resulting in poor-quality leaves. He urged farmers to invest in irrigation, including solar-powered boreholes and small pivot systems, as reliance on rainfall alone is becoming increasingly unreliable due to climate change.

The Meteorological Services Department has assured farmers that rains are returning. Forecasts from the department, in line with the 32nd Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum, project normal to above-normal rainfall in Zimbabwe between February and June. Mixed weather conditions, including scattered showers mainly in central and northern regions, began last Friday, offering hope for stressed crops.

Farmers now await the weekend's forecast anxiously, knowing that timely rains could determine the fate of the province's agricultural season.