‘Farmers should take agric seriously’

Victor Maphosa

Mashonaland East Bureau

Farmers should take agriculture seriously since it contributes significantly to economic development through supplying raw materials to the manufacturing sector and employment creation, Proton Bakers chief human resources officer, Mr Elvis Ncube, has said.

He said this while officiating at the Mashonaland East provincial Agricultural Show held in Marondera last week.

The show ran under the theme, “Inclusive agricultural transformation for beneficiation”.

Said Mr Ncube: “We are agro-based and need to take it seriously as a province and as a whole nation to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

“Agriculture forms the basis of livelihoods in our societies, hence there is need to invest more into the sector. In fact, the agriculture sector has been proven to be two to four times more effective in reducing poverty than any other sector.”

Mr Ncube called for strong measures to tackle the effects of climate change in the agriculture sector.

Climate change, he said, has become a reality and is “seriously affecting” agricultural production since the greatest proportion of the sector depends on rain-fed agriculture.

“The seasons are no longer consistent in terms of rainfall distribution across the province and the country at large. This has led to crop failure in several years resulting in food and nutrition insecurity at household level.

“The effects of climate change call on all stakeholders in the agriculture industry to join hands and employ all the necessary techniques to produce enough food to feed the nation.

“The Agriculture and Food Systems Strategy document outlines intervention strategies being implemented in the country to fight the unreliability of the weather pattern. One of the most popular and successful interventions is the conservation agriculture known as Pfumvudza,” said Mr Ncube. Through Pfumvudza/ Intwasa, Mashonaland East Province and the rest of the country since its inception a few years ago.

This year, the Government is targeting to support 3,5 million households with inputs under Pfumvudza to ensure increased food production.

Zimbabwe has been food secure in the last three seasons and has begun maize exports to countries in need.

Mr Ncube said farmers should try as much as they can to harness surface water and use it in times of drought.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development is encouraging farmers to grow crops that do well in their regions so as to maximise output.

Mr Ncube urged farmers in natural regions 4 and 5 to grow traditional grains since rainfall is low, and traditional grains can withstand high temperatures experienced in those areas.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland East, Aplonia Munzverengwi, applauded farmers across the province, and the relevant ministry, for putting Mashonaland East Province on the map in terms of agriculture.

She commended beneficiaries of Pfumvudza inputs for working hard to ensure food security.

“It is particularly pleasing to note that the Pfumvudza project, a brainchild of Mashonaland East, has taken the country by storm.

“Also Mashonaland East takes the lead in the implementation of the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme.

“The theme of this year aptly sums up the President’s mantra of ‘leaving no one and no place behind’. The Pfumvudza aspect, for instance, enables everyone to be food sufficient despite inadequate equipment (and) even money to buy inputs, which the Government provides.

“I want to congratulate all farmers in the province for the big job you are doing,” said Minister Munzverengwi.