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Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
Preparations for the 2023/24 farming season are at an advanced stage with over 145 000 Pfumvudza plots having been prepared by farmers so far as the nation gears for a better summer season.
According to the recent update by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, farmers in Mashonaland West have so far prepared 14 222 plots equivalent to 887ha, Mashonaland Central 26 543 plots and Mashonaland East 24 283 plots.
Manicaland so far has 63 886 plots while in Midlands has 10 802 plots, Masvingo has 4 110, Matabeleland North 1 336, while Matabeleland South has 565 and Harare has so far prepared 27 plots.
Over 5 000 households have limed and 10 000 have gathered mulch countrywide. The distribution of Pfumvudza inputs to Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots is underway in all provinces for onward distribution to 3,5 million households.
The programme will support three Pfumvudza plots per household dictated by agroecological region-specific crop input packages.
The package will also include water retention enhancers for Zunde RaMambo, herbicides package for 3 plots and a fall armyworm control package.
The Zunde RaMambo scheme will support 10 plots for Chiefs, 7 plots for headmen and 5 plots each for village heads.
Under the 2024/2025 summer cropping season plan produced by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, a farmer’s production under Pfumvudza is determined by the agroecological region and what the Government supports is determined by the agroecological region.
“Assuming the worst-case scenario: the 2024/2025 will have erratic rains, in terms of commencement, distribution, and termination. Based on agroecological tailoring, farmers in region 1 and 2 will get 3 mandatory maize plots, based on agroecological tailoring, farmers in region 3 will get 2 mandatory maize plots and 1 plot comprising of any of optional sunflower, sorghum, pearl millet, groundnuts, African peas or sugar beans,” said the ministry.
The Zunde raMambo/Isiphala seNkosi programme will target a total of 300 chiefs, 500 headmen and 36 000 village heads.
The programme will target 9 587 ha of maize and 5 478 ha of sorghum. The moisture enhancers will be used for all these plots, as they represent food security centres.
The scheme was introduced by the Government and it has been hailed as an inclusive game changer benefiting vulnerable households in communal, A1, small-scale commercial farming and old resettlement sectors in producing cereals, oil seeds and legumes.
Online Reporter