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THE Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Dr Joseph Made has called for the fair distribution of farming inputs for the 20014-15 season after complaints that the distribution exercise had been hijacked by Agritex officials, thereby leaving it prone to abuse.
“We are looking forward to a better season, now that the rains have started. Government will continue supplying the inputs to the farmers. We would like to call for fair distribution and those charged with the process should not discriminate on the basis of one being poor or a better farmer, because all the farmers qualify to receive these inputs. We have received complaints that Agritex officials across the country are personalizing the exercise, which should not be the case. They cannot work alone, sidelining the traditional leaders. No! This leaves the process prone to abuse. They must work together with the local leadership,” said Dr Made.
“There must be fairness in the distribution of the inputs. We will not tolerate corrupt practices. We should also avoid double dipping,” the minister said.
Government has announced that it was mobilising more than $252 million under a Presidential Input Scheme meant for the 2014/15 agriculture season.
Under the facility, Finance and Economic Development Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa said Government would capacitate 1 600 000 communal, old resettlement, former small scale purchase areas and A1 households to be self-sufficient in food through provision of agricultural inputs valued at $184,8 million.
Beneficiary farmers will get 1x10kg of seed maize and a 50kg bag of Ammonium Nitrate and Compound D, respectively.
However, Cde Chinamasa recently said they will also receive a 2kg packet soya-beans, tick grease and wound powder which are aimed at assisting farmers to improve livestock quality. However, very little has been done to match the targeted commitment as inputs distributed to provinces are way off the mark.
Most targeted farmers cannot afford the inputs, since they have little cash and cannot get seasonal credit. The transactions cost between smallholders and banks, it seems, are too high. Banks are reluctant to lend to them since they know too little about the competence and character of the farmers.
This hinders their ability to produce commercially and aids their reliance on Government assistance to enhance household food security in four sectors of smallholder farming communities.
The 10kg seed maize covers 0.5 of a hectare and a farmer will need at least 2x50kg bags of both Compound D and Ammonium Nitrate, respectively, to feed it.
If the point 0.5ha is well fed, a farmer in region four can harvest at least 8 x 50kgs bags of maize.
The Manica Post understands that very few inputs have been received in Manicaland. Nyanga district by Wednesday had received 39 tonnes seed maize, 60t compound D fertilizer and 90t Compound C. Buhera received a paltry 5t out of a possible allocation of 401t of seed. Out of the targeted 2 592t of Compound D fertilizer, the district had received 90t.
Chimanimani received 10t out of 229t of seed maize. The district received 30t of the expected 1152t of Compound D fertilizer.
34t of seed maize, out of 556t has been received in Makoni. The district has received 298t Compound D fertilizer out of a projected allocation of 2881t.
Mutare received 17t seed maize against a projection of 400t. The district received 120t compound D fertilizer out of 2160t.
Mutasa has received 14t seed out of 368t. Out of the expected 1872t compound D, the district only received 90t.
Chipinge has received 40t seed maize out of 459t and 30t compound D out of a promised 2 448t.
The inputs were secured from local seed and fertilizer companies.
Online Reporter