Andrew
Sunday Mail Reporter
The Government has secured 600 units of modern tillage equipment under the Smallholder Farm Mechanisation Facility to mechanise the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme and ensure communal farmers do not rely too much on outdated farming methods.
The equipment — valued at over US$3 million — includes two-wheel tractors and double-row planters that are set to be leased out to farmers beginning this summer cropping season. It is envisaged that mechanising communal agriculture through the initiative will immensely boost food production and small-holder farmers’ incomes.
Presently, communal farmers largely depend on hoes and ox-drawn ploughs for tillage. Under the facility, the Government intends to acquire 35 000 two-wheel tractors that will be evenly distributed to service centres countrywide for leasing to farmers.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said mechanising agriculture was a key Government priority.
“We have 2,7 million household units in the country still using ploughs and hoes for tillage,” said Minister Masuka.
“A recent survey by ZimVac (Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee) has shown that half of the households do not own cattle, and struggle with tillage. Mechanisation of Pfumvudza/Intwasa itself is a must, and we are importing two-wheel tractors that we will give to service providers in villages.
“In this space, we require at least 35 000 units of two-wheel tractors to mechanise communal agriculture so that we get productivity up.”
Chief director responsible for agriculture, mechanisation and soil conservation in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Engineer Edwin Zimunga, said mechanising Pfumvudza/Intwasa will boost production.
“We have imported 600 units for service providers under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa mechanisation programme, each costing US$5 800,” he said.
“About 10 percent of those units have been delivered and are ready for this year.”
The full impact of the new equipment on production, he added, will be felt during the 2023 summer cropping season. Smallholder farmers, he said, face tillage challenges after suffering massive losses of cattle due to outbreaks of livestock diseases such as theileriosis in recent years.
“We are setting up service centres within the farming communities — at the closest Government offices, business centres and other central points for accessibility by farmers. The selected service providers have been trained and capacitated to run the year-round business of providing mechanisation services to farming communities.”
The equipment will include two-wheel tractors (16 horsepower), double-row planters, multi-crop shellers and trailers (1,5 tonne).
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