admin
THE Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) has applauded efforts by local seed manufacturers to ensure that there is enough seed for the coming summer season.
Zimbabwe Seed Trade Association (ZSTA) national president Mr Walter Chigodora on Friday announced that more than 50 000 tonnes of maize seed had been distributed throughout the country so farmers can easily access the farming input.
The country requires 50 000 tonnes of maize seed to plant 1,2 million hectares this farming season.
In an interview, ZFU president Mr Abdul Nyathi said the availability of maize seed was a sign that the country is committed to meet its food requirements provided there is enough rains.
“The fundamentals demands that food security starts with seed management and the announcement by the seed traders that the country has more than enough seed this farming season is a sign that all players in the farming sector value chain are committed to improving the state of food security in the country,” said Mr Nyathi.
He said the announcement allayed fears of a possible shortage of maize seed in the country that had gripped the farming community following the decision by two major seed manufacturing companies, Pioneer Seed and Pannar, to move their production units to Zambia and Malawi for unspecified reasons.
However, the ZFU president urged seed companies not just to invest in cereals but also ensure that seed for small grain crops such as groundnuts, sorghum and millet are available on the market.
“Of course maize is the staple food but experience has taught us that it is not the only panacea to food shortage in the country. Our farmers must be given the option to grow small grain crops,” he said.
The Government has confirmed the country will have to import small grains seed to cover for the artificial deficit resulting from the reluctance by local seed houses to breed open pollinated varieties.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for cropping Davis Marapira said most companies did not breed small grains last season.
Small grains are considered drought tolerant and have better nutritional value than maize, which is viewed as an unsuitable crop in provinces such as Matabeleland North and South as well as Masvingo, which have very low annual rainfall.
“There is a shortage of small grains seed in the country because companies like Seed Co didn’t breed the previous year. We are, however, encouraging all Arda (Agricultural Rural Development Authority) estates to embark on the breeding of these seeds.
“In the meantime we will temporarily import the seed from countries like Malawi that are doing well in breeding these seeds so that we can cover for the deficit,” Cde Marapira said.
The Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) has since embarked on an extensive farmer training programme aimed at improving availability of small grains seed in areas with low perennial rainfall as seed houses are reluctant to breed open pollinated varieties.
Matabeleland North provincial Agritex officer Mr Dumisani Nyoni said a survey carried in the province revealed that there was an adverse shortage of drought resistant small grains seed in the form of millet, sorghum, rapoko, roundnuts and groundnuts.
“Seed houses seem to prefer breeding hybrids such as maize instead of open pollinated varieties in the form of small grains seed. This is because farmers can use open pollinated varieties for up to three seasons without going back to buy, which seed houses deem not viable.
“The first generation hybrid is the only one which is good and if one plants the returned yield (seed), it will not have high value and the yield will be lower while that of open pollinated varieties decline gradually thus seed houses see this as being detrimental to their business,” Mr Nyoni said.
He said the department has assisted in forming farmers’ groups in Nkayi and Tsholotsho in the production of small grain seeds since last year.
“We have been training farmers groups to do seed multiplication in Nkayi and Tsholotsho as a way of contributing towards community seed banks.
“We intend to keep on increasing production of small grains in community so that farmers won’t continue seeking them from seed houses,” Mr Nyoni said.
The country’s seed houses are said to be in the tendency of collecting small grains seed from farmers in the event that Government requires it for its inputs distribution schemes to the farmers.
“Each time seed houses allocate Government with small grains seed they will have obtained most of it from farmers and only sterilise of impurities and package it. Farmers are not registered thus they can only sell it to each other at seed fairs and at agricultural shows,” Mr Nyoni said.
Matopos Research Station and the Institute of Crop in Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) are also involved in promoting the cropping of small grains seed.
“Icrisat is also involved in the breeding of new groundnuts varieties, which it is promoting in Tsholotsho and the latest seed variety is dual purposeful with a high crop and stover yield. The stover being used as feed for livestock in the event of lack of pastures,” Mr Nyoni said.
Icrisat country representative Mr Kizito Mazvimavi said the organisation has been developing and breeding sorghum and pearl millet in Southern Africa for over three decades under its Sorghum and Millet Programme.
“We have produced over 40 varieties of sorghum and pearl millet across Sadc up until 2003. We have our main line of sorghum varieties such as Macia and Okashana 1 for our pearl millet.
“The biggest challenge is that seed houses are reluctant to engage in multiplying and marketing them for the obvious reason, because those are open pollinated varieties,” Mr Mazvimavi said.
Acting Matabeleland South provincial Agritex officer Mr Mukhunjulelwa Ndlovu said Agritex in partnership with a local crop breeding institute had embarked on a component to increase the provincial seed bank through initiating a small seed multiplication programme to enable farmers to access the input in their locality.
He said a number of farmers in Gwanda, Matobo and Umzingwane were engaged in sorghum contract farming funded by World Vision and being implemented by Agritex.
Small grains are being promoted as a crop better equipped to handle adverse weather conditions and more suitable for long-term storage, but they remain unpopular with most communal farmers in arid areas largely due their strenuous harvesting process and potential massive loss of yields through destruction by quelea birds.
Quelea birds, which roam in flocks that can grow to millions, prefer the seed of wild grasses to those of cultivated crops, but their numbers make them a constant threat to fields of sorghum, wheat, barley, millet and rice.
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter