Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
A MAJORITY of Bulawayo’s 25 000 urban farmers are yet to prepare land ahead of the distribution of agricultural inputs for the 2022/2023 farming season under the Climate-Proofed Presidential Inputs Scheme popularly known as Intwasa/Pfumvudza.
Government has already started delivering seed maize to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots in the two provinces of Matabeleland for the summer cropping season and the Government’s target is to produce three million tonnes of maize this coming season.
This comes as the Second Republic has made food security a top priority and is working towards a US$8,2 billion agriculture industry economy, contributing 20 percent of GDP by 2025, underpinned by the country’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) — the driver towards Vision 2030 to make Zimbabwe an upper middle-class economy.
The country requires 2,2 million tonnes of maize for human and livestock consumption and the three million tonnes target will position Zimbabwe as a significant player in grain production in the region.
National food self-sufficiency is key to the NDS1, which identifies food security and nutrition as key drivers of economic revival.
Government is targeting to give inputs to about 25 000 urban farmers in Bulawayo metropolitan province under Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme.
In an interview yesterday, acting director of agricultural rural development and advisory services for Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces Mr Dumisani Nyoni said most urban farmers in Bulawayo have not yet started preparing their fields, which effectively means they will be excluded from the Presidential input scheme.
“We are extremely worried that most urban farmers in Bulawayo have not done anything on their land and it’s worrying.
This programme is clear, the farmer has to play his or her part in terms of land preparation and the Government chips in with inputs,” he said.
In Matabeleland North Province, about 200 000 farmers are set to receive inputs under the programme while 130 000 farmers in Matabeleland South will benefit.
Intwasa is a concept aimed at climate proofing agriculture by adopting conservation farming techniques and involves use of small plots and applying the correct agronomic practices for higher returns.
The Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme, designed for small-scale farmers will this season benefit 2,3 million households in the communal, A1, small-scale commercial farming and old resettlement areas to produce cereals, oilseeds and legumes in the forthcoming summer cropping season.
Under the programme, each farming household will get an input package comprising 10kg seed maize, 5kg sorghum, 2kg pearl millet, 5kg soya beans, 2kg sunflower/castor beans and 5kg of either sugar beans, cowpeas or roundnuts. The seed types and varieties will depend on the farming region.
The programme will support five Intwasa/Pfumvudza plots of 39m x 16m in each household with a standardised crop input package drawn from maize, sorghum, pearl millet, soya beans, sunflower, groundnuts, vegetables and cow peas.
Matabeleland falls under agro-ecological regions three, four and five largely characterised by a low rainfall.
Government announced that this year, the distribution of seed types and varieties for the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme will depend on the climatic and soils of each region in order to boost production.
In low rainfall agro-ecological regions, three plots will be put under maize, sorghum and pearl millet. The maize plot is for household food and the other two plots under traditional grains are to produce for commercial sale.
In the latest seasonal forecast, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) is predicted normal to above normal rains across the country.
Online Reporter