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Kausiwa Banda, a Dendera music fan, has achieved a bumper harvest of maize in Savanhu Village under Ward 16, Marondera West.
The farmer invested his profits back into the rural community, building an imposing home with fowl runs, maize fields, fish ponds, and green Durban lawn.
Guests from Harare, Marondera and Chihota attended celebrations at his homestead.
Banda consulted with Marlvern Chipika, his Ward 16 Agritex officer, to achieve the bumper harvest using a scientific farming method.
Chipika commended Banda’s use of SC-727 maize seed, urging other farmers to utilise new farming methods to make the process easier.
Banda pledged to help less privileged farmers in the community and volunteered to provide food for child-headed families using fish from his ponds.
“I wish to thank these people who came in numbers. This harvest is not for money, but to feed my community.
“If we realise an extra dollar from this yield, then may all the glory be to God,” he said.
He also pledged to help assist less privileged farmers with inputs.
“I volunteered to help the aged and vulnerable families like the child-headed families with protein to be realised from fish.
“As you know, fish are rich in protein which is hard to come by,” said Banda.
Village head, Sekuru Savanhu, hailed Banda for his achievement.
“Banda had a bumper harvest by utilising the long disowned sandy soil here in Savanhu Village. When he started preparations, many of us did not give him a chance of getting a bumper harvest, but Banda shocked the whole of Chihota after his bumper harvest in these sandy soils,” he said.
Ward 16 Agritex officer, Marlvern Chipika, saluted Banda’s scientific farming method.
“Mr Banda’s SC-727 bumper harvest today was because of him consulting me as his agriculture officer in Ward 16.
“We just used a quarter of his budget because SC-727 maize is very easy to farm. Our chemicals cost US$40 for his 2.5 hectares,” he said.
Chipiki urged farmers to stop using manpower for weeding.
“Banda and I just used 4kgs of Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser, four litres of Dryphosate and four litres of Altrazine in 200 litres of water in weeding.
“Weeding a maize field using a hoe or cultivator disturbs the maize plant’ s roots as you will be cutting its roots.”
He said new scientific farming methods had made their job easy.
“Many of you think farming is expensive, but you need to seek knowledge and don’t snub our meetings,” he said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Ward 17 Agritex Officer, Martin Dzvete.
“I have witnessed many Chihota farmers resisting weeding chemicals saying they kill their soil, which is wrong,” he said.
Suluman Chimbetu attended the field day and entertained guests.
“I inherited farming and music from my late father. I urge every artist to invest in farming,” he said.
He urged fellow artists to learn from the late Simon Chimbetu and living legend Alick Macheso, who owns a farm in Chivhu.
Online Reporter