adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
MANICALAND has received moderate rains — after three weeks of intense dry condition in which farmers had resigned to watching helplessly as their crops wilt due to moisture stress.Manicaland last received rains mid-January and what followed was an arid spell which was having a toll on the early planted staple maize, which as of last week looked miserable as it wilted in the scorching heat.
This had raised strong fears among farmers of a routine mid-season drought which in the past seasons the cereal succumbed to harsh arid conditions before reaching maturity.
Agritex head for Manicaland Mr Godfrey Mamhare on Wednesday said the greater part of the province had received moderate rains, sufficient to recharge soil moisture to revive planted crops that were beginning to wilt in the scorching heat.
Makoni, Odzi, Nyanga, Mutasa and Chipinge are the hubs of the staple maize production in Manicaland, while Zimunya, Marange, Buhera and the Lowveld, which lie in the rain shadow, are synonymous for small grains and cotton given their ability to endure extreme weather conditions.
The moderate rains have also revived the prospects of a better harvest.
“The rains have rejuvenated some crops. The situation was getting out of hand. We can’t say the crop situation is good, but rather fair. Most of the crop was at wilting point. The good thing is that the bulk of the crop in Manicaland was still at knee height and can still recover. We did not have maize or sorghum that was at the tusseling stage, otherwise the situation would be terrible,” explained Mr Mamhare.
The situation this season is different with Buhera, reportedly receiving some rains since last week.
“Buhera is on the map, the greater part of the district has been receiving rains since last week.”
Mr Mamhare urged farmers to urgently apply top dressing fertilisers to their maize crop.
“Apart from showing signs of wilting, the crop in Manicaland has turned yellow and we are encouraging farmers to take advantage of this current wet spell to apply fertilisers,” said Mr Mamhare.
Mr Minrod Machaka, a farmer in Majuta area of Mutare District, was elated by the rains.
“It is a huge relief to receive these rains. The situation was getting terrible. We feared for the worst. The entire crop which looked miserable last week is now looking healthy and good,” said the tobacco farmer.
Mr Machaka planted two hectares of tobacco. On Tuesday he was pruning the primings and applying top dressing fertiliser to his waist-high crop.
Mr Mamhare said his department had not totally eradicated the devastating armyworm that destroyed thousands hectares of maize and green pastures in Makoni and Nyanga.
He said they were distributing carbaryl and boom sprays required for containing the outbreaks, adding that his department was battling mobility challenges to monitor the situation.
Zimbabwe has had a major challenge of armyworms which originate from Uganda, Zambia and even Tanzania and are blown into the country when strong, moist winds bring rain.
More rainfall brings more moths and, ultimately, fresh outbreaks. The pest, which can wreak havoc in fields if left to multiply, derives its name from its feeding habits. It eats everything in an area and once the food supply is exhausted, the entire “army” will move to the next available food source.
The armyworm usually attacks late-planted crops with drought-prone areas being the most vulnerable.
The outbreak threatens to worsen food security in the province, where 15 percent of the population already faces food shortages ahead of the March harvest.
Last year the pests swept across the province destroying crops and pastures, thereby contributing to poor harvests that were eventually accelerated by drought.
Online Reporter