Farmers urged to stagger planting

Cletus Mushanawani in HARARE
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made has called on farmers to stagger planting of crops to ensure that they at least salvage something in this unpredictable weather.In an interview on the sidelines of Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting at the party’s headquarters in Harare on Wednesday, Dr Made said staggering of planting was very important because if one crop fails, then the farmer has to look to the other crop planted on a different day for salvation.

“We must watch the weather focus very careful because what is happening now is the least we expected. Farmers are now worried about the delay of the start of this year’s summer farming season. We are advising farmers to liase closely with their extension officers for them to get proper advice on what crops to plant.

“In conditions like this, it is better for farmers not to plant everything they have at one goal. Everyone is worried about the prevailing situation even the Met Department because they least expected the current dry spell. As the parent ministry, we will be giving farmers weekly updates on what will be happening and the possible way forward.

Farmers should also use their local knowledge to prepare for this season and they should not rush to press the panic button. This is not a new phenomenon, hence the need to put our heads together and come up with best possible solutions for us to get something out of our land,” said Dr Made.

He advised farmers to plant both early and medium maturing crops considering the time left.

“If the rains come now or before Christmas, it is advisable for farmers to plant medium maturing crops, but after that they should seriously consider early maturing crops.

“Our biggest worry now is the long January dry spell. We are not certain on what will happen during that period.

Maybe it will rain and if this happens, then our farmers will be home and dry.

“I am happy to announce that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is working on mobilizing resources to mitigate against drought through availing funds for cloud seeding. However, the major setback is that as you can see for yourself we are having clear blue skies and you cannot do cloud seeding as it will be a waste of resources. We hope that the weather conditions will improve and become conducive for cloud seeding,” said Dr Made.

He said the prevailing weather conditions buttress his calls for irrigation development in all parts of the country.

“This points to the fact that we should development irrigation facilities across the country. Efforts should be made in this regard particularly in areas like Manicaland that receives fair rains especially in the northern part of that province. Irrigation should not only be for commercial crops only, but food crops as well.

‘Our other worry is water for livestock and human consumption when we have situations like this. We urge farmers to look at the number of cattle they have and should plan properly by looking at how much their herd requires in terms of water consumption so that they cannot lose out if the situation persists like this. However, we should not be pessimistic as things might change,” said Dr Made.

He said Government was also worried about the availability of inputs as suppliers are demanding cash up-front.
“We still owe some suppliers money from last season and they are now demanding cash up-front hence the availability of few inputs. However, the Ministry of Finance has since taken over that debt and suppliers will be paid off soon. Farmers should not rely on Government supplied inputs, but should also look for alternative resources to acquire their own inputs.

“Despite availability of inputs, as Cabinet we are worried about the high cost of them and we are looking at modalities on how the cost of these inputs can be addressed. We know that some farmers had already planted and their crops are now wilting hence more woes to them as they may be forced to replant, so the issue of high input costs is something we are taking seriously.

“When we eventually receive the rains, farmers should improve their crop husbandry in terms of looking after the crops in the best of their ability. I also want to encourage farmers to grow alternatives for maize like potatoes in Nyanga and small grains in drought prone areas,” said Dr Made.