Chronicle Editor
Harare Bureau
GOVERNMENT has secured enough inputs for the climate-proofed Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme, as seed and fertiliser companies have assured authorities they will provide sufficient quantities for the programme.
Farmers will receive 20 000 tonnes of maize seed, while fertiliser and lime requirements are set at 150 000 tonnes.Other seeds to be delivered are 5 966 tonnes of sorghum, 2 026 tonnes of pearl millet, 1 195 tonnes of sunflower, 2 658 tonnes of groundnuts, 1 215 tonnes of sugar beans and 907 tonnes of cowpeas.
In an interview with our Harare Bureau, Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (Ardas) chief director in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, said distribution of inputs to GMB depots countrywide is continuing.
“We have received assurances from seed and fertiliser companies that they will meet the target. Seed is moving quite well to Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots. We are anticipating that most of the GMB depots now have seed. We are seeing increased distribution and delivery to GMB from our suppliers, and this is important because we want seed and fertiliser to be there at the depots, and we want distribution to happen at once so that a farmer receives a full package, not a scenario where farmers get seed now then fertiliser later.”
Prof Jiri said Fertiliser Seed Grain (FSG), a private company, had to date delivered the bulk of fertiliser required for Matabeleland provinces, while other provinces will get their allocations soon. On land preparation, Prof Jiri said Agritex officers are on the ground training farmers.
“As of Monday (last week), we had 2,3 million farmers that had been trained in Intwasa and we had 2,5 million beneficiaries who had done holing out and mulching, so, in terms of preparations, these are going on well. We expect that by mid-October the majority of our farmers will have done potholing and mulching,” he said.
He commended seed supplier Valley Seed for supporting the programme. On Thursday, Valley Seeds, the leading distributor of seed under Pfumvudza, dispatched truckloads of inputs from its warehouse in Ruwa to various GMB depots countrywide.
Valley Seeds commercial director Mr Tich Mapongah said they are starting distribution with hard-to-reach areas.
“So far we have already distributed 1 800 tonnes of maize seed. We are targeting to deliver 2 000 tonnes this week (last week) countrywide. Also, we are starting on small grains next week (this week) that will be going to the southern parts of the country,” he said.
All beneficiaries are expected to get their allocations by end of this month.
“If you look at the number of plots that have been worked on by farmers, you will see that most of them are ready and they understand that this season everything has been done early to ensure a bumper harvest,” added Mr Mapongah.
derick.khumalo