adminEach family was given 10kg of seed maize and 5kg of rice.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, officially launched the district scheme at Mafutha Business Centre where hundreds of villagers drawn from different wards gathered.
In his address Senator Ndlovu said the scheme was meant to benefit everybody regardless of political affiliation.
“Our President is a leader for everybody and does not discriminate. We are going to share these inputs and all of us will get something,” said Sen Ndlovu.
“The local leadership who are here should ensure that the inputs are distributed fairly and that the elderly and vulnerable groups are given priority.”
Presenting the breakdown of quantities, Insiza North MP who is also Zanu-PF Matabeleland South provincial chairman Cde Andrew Langa said the constituency received four tonnes of seed maize, four tonnes of rice and 14 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser.
“The seed maize we have can be distributed to 400 families, each family will get a 10kg bag. We were also allocated 14 tonnes of fertiliser, which is yet to be delivered and four tonnes of rice that would be distributed to 800 people, each getting 5kg,” said Cde Langa.
“More seed is coming under the social welfare and from developmental partners. We need to ensure that these inputs are distributed fairly. From now on let us go to the field and work hard and improve food production. Increased productivity would shame our detractors and defeat the sanctions they imposed on us.”
Cde Langa castigated Finance Minister Tendai Biti for failing to provide adequate funding for farming.
He said it was not true that Treasury had no money to finance farming and accused Minister Biti of seeking to sabotage farmers and discredit the land reform programme.
Cde Langa said Zanu-PF was the only party with the interests of people at heart.
He said the revolutionary party would not sit back and watch farmers struggling to get inputs hence the launching of the Presidential Inputs Scheme.
Three weeks ago President Mugabe launched the $20 million Presidential Well-Wishers Special Agricultural Inputs Scheme, which is set to benefit 800 000 households across the country’s provinces.
Presidential spokesperson Cde George Charamba has said the scheme was introduced after realising that farmers were not receiving support from Government institutions such as the Grain Marketing Board and the National Budget.
Also present during the launch were war veterans, civil servants and award winning farmer Mr Jonathan Nsingo from Gwatemba.
Online Reporter