adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
AN intense hailstorm thumped pockets of Manicaland last week leaving farmers who had expected some beneficial rains after a month of severe dry condition counting their loses as it destroyed some ripening tobacco and tussling maize.
Farmers in the affected areas had initially celebrated the arrival of the rains after a long scorching spell of summer, but the joy was short-lived as the rains turned violent and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
The hail affected crops in parts of Mutasa, Mutare and Makoni districts.
About 30 hectares of ripening tobacco was destroyed in the Weya area of Headlands where Agritex was this week still assessing the extent of the damage on the maize crop.
In Mutare, the sizeable hectarage of maize was destroyed in the Chikubvu area, while the belt stretching from Magamba Vocational and Training Centre was also affected by the natural phenomenon.
Agritex provincial officer for Manicaland, Mr Godfrey Mamhare, on Wednesday said though some parts of the province were affected by the hailstorm, the major challenge facing farmers in the province was the prolonged dry spell.
Mr Mamhare said Manicaland was dry as rains continue eluding the province and the resultant hot humid weather was making farmers sweat.
The near-dry spell occasioned by lack of rain continued since the first week of January, with barely 10mm of rain being recorded over the past six weeks.
The maximum temperature in Manicaland hovered at 35 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature was 25 degrees – which are both above average.
Manicaland has been starved for a good spell of rain with the last significant rainfall having been received on January 2, since then, rainfall has been scarce with minor amounts falling on a few days, with heavier showers often bypassing the province’s major farming bastions.
“Yes in Makoni, Mutare and Mutasa districts we had pockets affected by hail, but the impact was not that much. About 30ha of tobacco was destroyed in some parts of Headlands,” said Mr Mamhare.
It could not be established whether the affected farmers had insured their crop.
“Maize was also affected, but the bulk of it will recover because it was still at the vegetative stage,” he added.
A tussling maize crop at Magamba was written off after hail pruned all its leaves, thereby compromising chances of robust grain-filling.
In Vumba, the maize was still at vegetative stage and can still recover.
“Manicaland is in dire need of rains, especially the southern parts right up to the Lowveld. The crop is at temporal wilting stage and chances are that it can still recover if it rains earliest,” said Mr Mamhare.
Online Reporter