The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure Farming Reporter
THE first batch of more than 3 100 contract forms was this week distributed to farmers across Manicaland whose properties met the set criteria under command agriculture — a specialised maize production meant to enhance food security in the country.
More than 25 000 farmers in natural regions one, two and three have expressed interest to produce maize under the $500m scheme revered for its ability to unlock the country’s potential to produce enough food to fill strategic grain reserves and surplus for export.
More contract forms are expected to be distributed next week.
Those whose paperwork has sailed through will start to receive fertilizers, seed maize optimised for the climates for their respective regions and chemicals by end of next week.
Though Agritex head for Manicaland, Mr Godfrey Mamhare, refused to shed light on the progress made so far citing protocol restriction, The Manica Post understands that 9 00 contract forms were dispatched last week and 2 200 this week.
The inputs are being delivered to the Grain Marketing Depots across the province, but officials remain mum on the quantities received so far.
The provincial taskforce co-ordinating the programme was on Wednesday verifying the actual hectarage offered under the programme.
The programme targets farmers who can produce at least five tonnes of maize per hectare and first priority is given to those with vibrant irrigation infrastructure and potential irrigable areas.
More than 4 000 farmers with vibrant irrigation infrastructure had expressed interest under command agriculture, but it has since emerged this week that several of them were dropped after failing to meet the criteria.
They were disqualified for having poor water sources and dysfunctional irrigation infrastructure.
“We are going through the contracts verifying the hectarage by farmers. It is also true that some farmers who wanted to be considered to produce under irrigation have been dropped.
“We are going through the signed contracts to come up with the total hectarage so that we could calculate the fuel requirement for the programme. The District Development Fund (DDF) will assist with tillage, but at the moment DDF only has four running tractors, two of which are assisting in Makoni,” said a source.
Tractors allocated to Manicaland under the Brazil More Food for Africa will also assist under the programme.
The department of mechanisation will be responsible for servicing the tractors.
Last season Manicaland put 240 000 hectares under maize, but the bulky of it was scorched in the El Nino-induced drought before reaching maturity.
Zimbabwe’s agriculture is currently facing serious challenges of productivity.
In recent years, productivity declined drastically due to successive droughts which resulted in the country failing to feed itself.
Government must inculcate a sense of national responsibility among farmers so that they can take farming as serious business within the context of serving the nation.
The current mentality of farmers is self-enrichment instead of being a business undertaken with responsibility to provide nation with sustainable food security.
The need for Government to provide an enabling environment through clear policy goals and commensurate investments in infrastructure, mechanisation, training, education and information cannot be underestimated.
In the same vein, the private sector and development partners must come on board and assist with the finance and distribute inputs at fair prices as closer to the farmers as possible.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union executive director, Mr Paul Zacharia recently argued that farmers, the private sector and Government should own up to their mandatory and complimentary roles if the nation was to get out of the current quagmire.
