adminEvelene Taadira Herald Reporter
Government has resolved that mechanisation, irrigation, water harvesting and conservation be the driving factors of agriculture this season for the country to achieve food security, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made was speaking during the launch of the Eco-Farmer programme by mobile telephone operator Econet Wireless in Murewa yesterday.
“Cabinet took a decision on Tuesday that mechanisation, irrigation, water harvesting and conservation should be the driving factors of agriculture and this programme lies in that weather information is communicated appropriately,” he said.
“Farmers are also to be encouraged and informed on producing a nutrition mix in terms of livestock and crops and educated to go back to the practices that include crop rotation for families to have enough food at a household level.”
Minister Made said Cabinet had charged Finance Minister Cde Patrick Chinamasa to liaise with banks on ways which allow farmers to continue with their activities despite their having debts with banks. “Even at our own Agribank, we will not scrap debts for farmers, they will remain, but we are looking at how farmers can still successfully go to their fields this next season,” he said.
Government would also issue small-holder farmers, communal farmers, those in resettlement areas and A1 farmers with one bag of Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser, Compound D fertiliser and 10kg seed maize or 5kg of small grain seed as assistance.
Livestock farmers would also be assisted.
Eco-Farmer is an agricultural information service which will see farmers receiving agriculture related information through the short message service (SMS) platform.
It has an insurance benefit for crops and covers financial services and market linkages.
Minister Made commended Econet for introducing the weather indexed crop cover insurance, which was already on a pilot programme in Mashonaland East province.
Online Reporter