No more free inputs: minister

George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
COMMUNAL and small-scale farmers will not get free inputs this year and must mobilise their own resources, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira has said.In the 2013/14 season, more than 1,6 million households were supported by government to the tune of 2013/14. The end of removal of Government support will affect poor rural farmers.

Addressing communal farmers at a field day at Topora Business Centre in Chikwanda communal lands in Masvingo North last week, Deputy Minister Marapira said farmers must start preparing for the 2014/15 season. “I want to urge all farmers to start preparing for the 2014/15 farming season now by making sure that they have their own seed and inputs because government is not going to give you inputs for free with effect from this year.

“This is the time to start preparing for the next farming season because we have scrapped direct support to farmers. We do not want to promote the dependency syndrome,’’ he said.

He downplayed fears this could negatively affect agricultural productivity.

“We are going to subsidise local companies that manufacture inputs like fertilisers and seed. We hope this will see our farmers being able to buy cheap and affordable products,” deputy minister Marapira said.

He said scrapping of government input support facilities did not mean the end of the Presidential Well-Wishers Inputs Support Scheme.
Deputy Minister Marapira said his ministry would engage Energy and Power Development Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire on preparations for the winter wheat crop.

“We have not yet finalised anything on winter wheat preprations because we need to be assured of electricity supplies first and we will soon be engaging the responsible minister over the issue,” he said.

In the 2013/2014 season rural farmers got 10kg of cereal seed and 100kg of fertilisers under government’s inputs support facility.