adminCletus Mushanawani Mash Central Bureau
Government has disbursed $2,5 million to Mashonaland Central Province to repair farming implements ahead of this year’s harvesting period. Speaking at field day in Mazowe last week, Mashonaland Central provincial agriculture extension officer Mr Stanslae Tapererwa said the money was earmarked for repairing tractors, farming equipment and combine harvesters.
He said the money, which will be accessible from next month, would also cater for farmers’ fuel during harvesting. Mr Tapererwa called for the acquisition of more combine harvesters for the province.
“The province requires more combine harvesters. Last year, about 48 percent of the planted wheat, which was 4 780ha were affected by the rains due to the shortage of combine harvesters,” he said.
Mr Tapererwa said registration for the 2018 Command Wheat Programme was already underway.
On the progress of the 2017/18 Command Agriculture Programme in Mashonaland Central, Mr Tapererwa said only 45 percent of the targeted 72 800 hectares were planted with maize under Command Agriculture due to a number of reasons, ranging from failure by farmers to acquire inputs to reduction of hectarage because of the prolonged mid-season drought.
The province, he said, initially targeted to put 72 800ha under maize, but only 32 836ha were planted as of March 13, 2018.
Only Rushinga district managed to put all its targeted land — 300ha — under production for both irrigation and dry-land farming.
The major maize producing districts of Bindura, Mazowe, Guruve, Shamva, Centenary, Mt Darwin had half of the targeted hectarage planted.
Out of a target of 20 000ha in Bindura, 8 230ha were planted, while out of a target of 28 000ha in Mazowe, 10 776ha were planted.
For soya beans, only 31 percent of the targeted hectarage was achieved.
Out of the targeted hectarage of 20 000ha, only 6 292ha were planted.
Soya beans is grown in six of the province’s eight districts, which include Guruve, Bindura, Shamva, Mt Darwin, Mazowe and Centenary.
Although Mazowe had a target of 11 000ha that was supposed to be put under soya beans, only 2 795ha were planted. In Bindura, out of a target of 6 000ha, only 2 430ha were planted.
“The difference in contracted and planted area is due to the fact that some farmers failed to acquire inputs, while others reduced their hectarage,” he said.
Mr Tapererwa said most of the crops that had suffered from moisture stress due to the January dry spell had significantly improved.
“Maize and soya beans crops are improving due to the rains that were received from the start of February. Seventy-five percent of the maize crop is now at the grain filling stage, while 80 percent of the soya bean crop is now at podding stage,” he said.
Mr Tapererwa said the province was in the process of receiving top dressing fertiliser, with Bindura having already taken delivery of 120 tonnes of urea, while Mt Darwin had received 98 tonnes as of March 15.
He said an audit exercise for inputs received under the Command Agriculture programme for the 2016-17 season was in progress.
He said a payment plan was being worked out for those who failed to meet the set target of five tonnes per hectare.
Online Reporter