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Freedom Mupanedemo
Midlands Bureau
CBZ Bank has availed inputs to cover over 70 000 hectares of winter wheat against a national target of 85 000 hectares of the crop.
Speaking after a tour of Wanu Farm on the outskirts of Gweru to assess the winter wheat preparations, CBZ agro yield managing director, Mr Walter Chigodora, said the inputs were now available and farmers under Command Agriculture across the country could now visit the bank for their allocations.
“Everything is in order. We have since availed the inputs and farmers should just visit the bank and register.
“It’s now the second year running and we had challenges last time but now we know and we expect to have an improved yield. This is why we have already availed the inputs,” he said.
Mr Chigodora said the farmers should all have accessed their inputs by May.
He said the bank, through its agri-unit, was also assisting farmers with farm implements as the country sought to produce enough wheat and cut on the import bill.
“Apart from the farm implements which we are giving the farmers, we are also funding the rehabilitation of irrigation schemes in the country so that we maximise production on our irrigation.
“The idea is to produce enough for the country, we want to maximise on the good rains to produce enough produce for the country,” he said.
Midlands provincial crop and Agritex officer, Mrs Madeline Magwenzi said the province was seeking to more than double its winter wheat hectares from last year’s 4 500 hectares to about 11 000 hectares.
She urged farmers to take advantage of the availability of the inputs to plant in time.
“We are still negotiating on the actual hectares with the aim to double what we had as the province last year.
“We intend to have about 8 000 to 11 000 hectares from last year’s 4 500 hectares,” she said.
Online Reporter