malvernmugadzikwa
Theseus Shambare
As preparations for the 2024/2025 summer cropping season intensify, smallholder farmers under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme have collected around 10 806 tonnes of seed and about 49 733 tonnes of basal fertiliser from Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots countrywide.
Farmers have also collected 1 320 tonnes of sorghum while the distribution of pheromone traps across the country hit 214.
Under the programme, the Government provides inputs and extension services support to smallholder farmers with the aim of boosting yields and increasing resilience to the negative impacts of climate change.
So far, farmers have prepared over 10.6 million Pfumvudza/Intwasa plots in preparation for planting, thereby surpassing the Government’s target of 9 million plots.
This represents a more than threefold increase in the number of plots prepared for the programme since its inception during the 2020-2021 summer cropping season.
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development acting chief director responsible for the Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services (AARDS) directorate Mr Leonard Munamati said inputs distribution is now at its peak.
“Distribution is taking place quite well. In terms of basal dressing fertiliser, we have already delivered 59 153 tonnes to the various GMB depots and that is about 62 percent of our target,” he said.
Mr Munamati said inputs distribution has been made easy this year as some beneficiaries are organising themselves to collect at various GMB depots.
“So far 49 733 tonnes have been distributed and we are quite happy with the innovation that is coming from the wide distribution committees where they are organising with the farmers in the areas to come and collect fertiliser at the various GMB depots.
“The same applies to maize seed. So far we have distributed 10 806 tonnes of seed and this is now slightly above our target because we realised that we were targeting 9 million plots but farmers prepared over 10.6 million plots,” said Mr Munamati.
He said in terms of sorghum, distribution is a bit low.
“We have now distributed 1 320 tonnes of sorghum. This is slightly low, about 30 percent of our target but we are already making plans to make sure that we avail more seed for the traditional grains so that we can meet the target,” said Mr Munamati.
He urged farmers to wind up planting during this sunny period as lots of rain might come soon.
“Now that we have this dry spell, we are encouraging farmers to do weed management and scout for any armyworm outbreaks.
“We have set some 214 pheromone traps across the country to enable the early detection of the armyworm so that we are quick to control it before an outbreak,” said Mr Munamati.
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