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Mr David Nkomazana (70), a beneficiary of the land reform programme, managed the feat on a five-hectare piece of land during a season when the country experienced erratic rains.
Yesterday, a field day was held at Merryland Farm where he was resettled to celebrate his success.
Acting President Joice Mujuru was among the people who attended the event.
Mr Nkomazana attributed his success to hard work, constant advice from farming organisations and encouragement from Umguza Member of the House of Assembly, Dr Obert Mpofu.
“Farming is a full time occupation. During the cropping season, I even stop being intimate with my wife and concentrate my energy on the fields,” said Mr Nkomazana.
A nod of confirmation from his wife Mrs Ebbie Nkomazana (60) left guests in stitches.
He said his secret lay in the fact that his piece of land was of heavy clay soil.
“Once this type of soil absorbs moisture, it takes a long time for it to evaporate back into the atmosphere. My maize crop survived mainly on the moisture in the soil,” said Mr Nkomazana.
Addressing hundreds of villagers who attended the event, Cde Mujuru said what Mr Nkomazana had done was amazing.
“I challenge Dr Mpofu, the MP and the Governor, Cde Thokozile Mathuthu to ensure that the water from Nyamandlovu Aquifer is utilised to irrigate crops for farmers like Mr Nkomazana,” said Cde Mujuru.
She said Agritex officials should always be with farmers advising them every step to have more success stories.
Cde Mujuru encouraged farmers who grew cotton in the district for the first time, and others in the country to strive towards adding value to their product to boost profits.
“Do not be discouraged because the crop may fetch little this year. The problem is that prices are determined by international demand. We can overcome this by processing our cotton and its by-products to get more value,” said Cde Mujuru.
She said Zimbabwe’s cotton was of the highest quality because it was handpicked, but farmers were getting low prices for it because they were selling an unprocessed product.
“We sell our cotton for very little and those who buy it spin it into cloth which they sell back to us at exorbitant prices. They also extract the seed in the cotton and process it to make products like cooking oil and soap. If we were to process the cotton ourselves, we would get more money from it,” said Cde Mujuru.
She said even the country’s cattle herd needed improving through the introduction of better breeds.
Speaking at the same occasion, Dr Mpofu pledged to introduce better breeds of bulls to service the entire community and improve the quality of beef in the area.
Online Reporter