adminBlessing Rwizi
CASHEL Valley farmers have over the recent years seen success in diversified and off-season high-value horticulture crop farming.
This has enabled them to raise enough money for their different needs.
This has been said not to be because of lack of markets, but lack of vibrant crop yields due to erratic rainfall patterns and the liquidity constraints on the back of the global economic recession.
A delegation of agricultural extension officers, farmers and vendors from different parts of Manicaland last Wednesday toured Svinurai Irrigation Scheme in Cashel where most farmers are into high-value horticultural produce such as tomatoes, onions, green-pepper, fresh yellow maize, carrots, potatoes, garlic and butter-nuts throughout the year.
Companies like Cains Foods and Reapers (Pvt) Ltd have so far benefited from the irrigation scheme as they are getting both fresh and dried products throughout the year under contract farming.
In an interview, one of the farmers, Mrs Susan Ngorima, who has been a farmer at the scheme since 1995, said off-season cropping had brought smiles on many families’ faces.
She said she was generating a profit of up to $4 000 per year.
She concentrates on tomatoes, onions, green paper, fresh yellow maize, carrots, potatoes, garlic and butter-nuts production.
“I have seen a complete change on my yields ever since I switched to off-season cropping and diversified cash crop farming three years ago, though it was due to unstable rainfall patterns in our countries. The type of farming that we are engaged into enables us to surpass our targets easily.
“I am concentrating on tomatoes, onions, green-pepper, green yellow maize, carrots, potatoes, garlic and butter-nuts and I have been selling these products to Cairns Foods, Reapers (Pvt) Ltd and vendors from different parts of the country. Annually I am getting a profit of $4 000 and that is enough to cater for my needs,” said Mrs Ngorima.
She added that farmers in the area were keen to assist other small-scale farmers in the province with knowledge.
“Despite the canals which are now bad and expensive inputs, we are hoping to do better than this. On behalf of Svinurai Irrigation Scheme Farmers, I would like to thank the Government for giving us a tractor which has also made tillage easier,” said Mrs Ngorima.
Cashel Valley Agricultural Extension officer, Mr Victor Bangira, said farmers in the area were better off and capable of financing their children’s education through off-season and diversified cash crop farming.
“It is important for other farmers in different irrigation schemes within the province to try this method of farming as it has benefited farmers in this community despite the rainfall problems,” said Mr Bangira.
Online Reporter