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Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
VLEI wheat farmers from Chegutu and Mhondoro-Ngezi districts have applauded President Mnangagwa for ensuring that they receive winter wheat inputs under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme on time so they can significantly contribute to this year’s 85 000ha national target.
The President recently launched this year’s climate proof agriculture concept at the Mhondoro-Mubaira business centre with the provincial Agricultural and Recovery Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) targeting to support thousands of communal farmers doing non-irrigable (vlei) and irrigated wheat.
He also challenged farmers to fully utilise their hectarage.
Last year, over 3 000 vlei winter wheat communal farmers from the two districts put at least 2 000 hectares under the crop and delivered the yield to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), but bemoaned late disbursement of the much needed inputs as that affected their output.
Although the Government has ring-fenced 120 megawatts needed for winter wheat farming, unforeseen challenges, including faulty lines and transformers vandalism cannot be ruled out to affect production, but the target on increased vlei wheat is anticipated to bridge the gap that could be created by unforeseen challenges.
Already 3 500 vlei wheat farmers in Chegutu and Mhondoro-Ngezi received inputs that included seed, top dressing basal and fertilisers at the weekend.
The Herald contacted some of the beneficiaries who said they had started planting the crop after having successfully prepared their land.
The beneficiaries assured the President of another bumper harvest this year.
Mr Bonface Mangwiro of Ward 1 in Chegutu’s Mhondoro-Mubaira area challenged other farmers to put to good use the inputs they were receiving.
“We are grateful to the President for the inputs that we received earlier this season. It has always been our plea to the government to avail the inputs on time,” he said.
Another communal farmer from Ward 4, Ms Welcome Maponde, who had an acre of winter wheat last year, said she was hoping to have at least one hectare this season as distribution of the inputs had commenced on time.
Mr Charles Hwata from Ward 5 said: “We have enough moisture in the land and with the inputs that we have already received, we are targeting to produce more wheat this year.”
The communal farmers promised President Mnangagwa a bumper harvest that is going to cut the import bill and make Zimbabwe flour self-sufficient.
Mrs Memory Mapisa, a widow from Rwizi area under Ward 5, who has been doing vlei wheat for the past five years, said the Pfumvudza winter wheat scheme was a game-changer for her family.
Provincial director of (ARDAS) Mrs Evelyn Ndoro said Pfumvudza wheat was a game-changer to the country’s wheat production.
“We are targeting at least 3 500 vlei wheat farmers from Chegutu district alone where Mhondoro-Mubaira falls under. Our targeted hectarage is 4 500 under the unirrigated crop,” she said.
The province was given a total target of 29 000 hectares under the cereal crop.
“We are confident that we will meet and surpass the target as we managed to beat the 2022 target of 25 000 hectares by 3 000 hectares and our communal farmers who do vlei wheat contributed significantly,” she added.
Online Reporter