Further boost for agric officers

Sifelani Tsiko
Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor
Agriculture extension workers across the country will receive motorcycles and satellite-linked electronic tablets in the next two weeks to help them discharge their duties.

This was disclosed by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement in a Tweet this week.

“Government will before the end of this month distribute satellite-linked tablets and about 1 000 motorbikes to agricultural extension workers countrywide to capacitate them to execute their duties,” .

Last July, the first 500 extension workers received their motorcycles and the Ministry wants 5 000 to ensure all agricultural extension workers can easily reach the farming families they serve and advise.

After finding the extension services had declined in both numbers and in the ability of the extension workers to reach the farmers, the Government took measures to upgrade the service with staff and resources so that the major development drive through agriculture was supported.

Agritex now has 4 790 agricultural extension workers in the field with 505 agricultural extension supervisors while the veterinary extension staff has a 1 563 staff requirement and already has ensured that suiitable qualified staff are in 1 312 of those posts.

Agritex has 620 functional motorbikes and 900 motorbikes that are non-runners while the Veterinary Services has 315 motorcycles, of which 254 are functional and 61 are non-runners.

Before the major drive to boost the two critical services, the crop and livestock extension system had faced numerous challenges — ranging from lack of vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles, poor cold chain for vaccine storage, poor training of staff, lack of accommodation for staff and more importantly lack of vaccines and laboratory equipment — while the livestock extension system had obsolete laboratory equipment resulting in major backlogs in testing.

Zimbabwe is targeting not just food self-sufficiency and the rebuilding of the national herd, but ensuring that this growth involves all farmers, so boosting household incomes and providing a major driving force for the rest of the economy.

The country is poised for a record maize harvest this season, with the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) projecting a yield of 3,1 million tonnes of maize, a surplus of 1,2 million tonnes after all local demand is met.

GMB is now working on expanding its storage capacity and setting up the collection centres for the harvest.

So far, five of the 12 silo facilities have been refurbished with work on the other seven scheduled for completion by April when the harvest starts arriving. The 12 silo complexes can store 750 000 tonnes.