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Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
GOVERNMENT has released $9,8 million to pay wheat farmers who delivered their crop to the Grain Marketing Board last season. This is part of Government’s efforts to assist farmers produce wheat this season.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation and Development Minister Dr Joseph Made yesterday said Government was also in the process of mobilising inputs for wheat farmers.
“Last Thursday the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Cde Patrick Chinamasa released an additional $4,8 million to wheat farmers. The previous week Government released $5,5 million and has cleared the backlog of wheat farmers.
“Government is now working on clearing the outstanding balance for maize farmers. It is important that farmers are able to go back to the field and they can only do so if they are given their money,” he said.
Dr Made said Government was also working on assisting wheat farmers this season.
“We are taking stock of wheat farmers who have started planting. Soon we will be announcing assistance given to farmers who have planted wheat.
“We will assist them with a loan facility of top dressing fertilisers but the assistance will only be open to those farmers whose crop has germinated,” he said.
Dr Made said staff from the department of irrigation would record all farmers who had started planting by doing field inspections.
He urged farmers to mobilise seed and Compound D fertilisers on their own. Government has urged farmers to plant wheat and Irish potatoes this winter to boost food security.
Last season, farmers produced 54 000 tonnes of wheat.
Zimbabwe requires between 350 000 and 450 000 tonnes of wheat a year.
Online Reporter