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Conrad Mupesa Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
Government has praised small-scale farmers for their significant contribution to this year’s winter wheat production, with over 80 000 hectares planted.
Madoda Irrigation Scheme in Mhondoro-Ngezi, Mashonaland West, stood out as a model of success.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos commended the scheme during a field day last Friday.
In its second year doing the cereal crop, the scheme is expected to harvest an average of five tonnes per hectare out of the 87 hectares under wheat.
The irrigation scheme’s expected yield is over 100 percent higher than what it achieved last year.
Chairperson of the scheme, Ms Evelyn Chawira said the success was because of unity among the 25 beneficiaries.
Government has provided irrigation equipment, and tractors and, it continues to support the farmers with inputs.
“We are united as a group which has seen us thrive again this year. The Government has supported us to make sure that as communal farmers, we contribute to the food security of the nation,” she said.
Another scheme member, Mr Disco Ngungunyana said the rehabilitation of the project by the Government in 2022, had seen families of the beneficiaries become financially stable.
“We want to continue contributing to wheat production because this is lucrative farming. Some of the farmers who got pieces of land here were former workers for white commercial farmers and they understand how this can economically uplift them,” he said.
Mr Kufa Chingwa, another member said while they managed to consistently plant above 80 hectares of wheat in the past two seasons, their target was to fully utilise the 150-ha irrigable land.
Deputy Minister Haritatos said the record-breaking winter wheat production this year was because of communal farmers’ contribution.
“We have a regional crop of farmers that have come up, including communal farmers and their contribution stems from the call from President Mnangagwa that wheat takes on food security status. As a typical white commercial crop before, wheat has become predominantly grown by small-scale farmers who have contributed over 50 percent of the crop this season,” he said.
The small-scale farmers are thriving through the Presidential Inputs Scheme and other programmes, including ARDA joint ventures. Other farmers are under the National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS).
“We have history in making as we see it. Here, we have 25 farmers that came together and formed an irrigation scheme. From their crop, I believe they will harvest an average of five tonnes per hectare, contributing at least 400 tonnes,” he added.
Deputy Minister Haritatos said Government was going to avail assistance to irrigation schemes across the country as a way of eradicating climate-induced droughts.
Mhondoro-Ngezi District has surpassed its 2000ha target this season with vlei wheat farmers also contributing to the target.
Online Reporter