admin
Elton Manguwo
FARMERS affiliated to various Government sponsored programmes like Pfumvudza/Intwasa must strive to produce enough to repay for the inputs through deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), retain some for domestic consumption and be able to sell surplus to get an income.
urged to repay for inputs
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka on Wednesday urged communal farmers attending the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare to be active economic participants by repaying inputs under the Presidential input scheme Pfumvudza through maize deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
“This notion that inputs delivered under Pfumvudza are free should remain a notion,” said Dr Masuka, as he stressed the importance of repaying inputs for both the survival of the programme and guaranteeing food security at both household and national level.
The 61 percent of the rural population amounting to 9, 2 million people survive on subsistence farming. This makes it crucial for them to ensure maximum production, as the nation aims to achieve food security and oil seed sufficiency amid climate and global supply chain disruptions.
Speaking at the 10th Annual National Agribusiness Conference held during the show, Minister Masuka said the financing of the 3, 5 million households under the Presidential input schemes was a contract between the Government and each household as a productive social investment programme. The contract ensures food security at household level while the surplus is supposed to be sold to the GMB.
In addition, he acknowledged how the idea of repaying loans would further the Government agenda of transforming the rural subsistence farmers into commercially oriented farmers so that year in year out they can benefit from farming as a business.
Minister Masuka further said: “The country’s 23 000 A2 farmers by virtue of being in better soils and having access to good rainfall patterns must become 23 000 successful companies involved in the business of agriculture.”
Government has since started delivering inputs to GMB centres with the distribution process set to start in the next few weeks as preparations for the 2022/23 farming season gather pace.
More so, the Government through the Ministry is working to ensure that a sustainable business environment is created through legislative amendments so that farmers can be able to sell and benefit from their produce.
“We will be changing a few statutory instruments particularly SI Unit 145 of 2019 in the next few months to enable the business of agriculture to thrive. We need to clarify the definition of a contract and the role of the responsible marketing board,” added Dr Masuka.
Online Reporter