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Cde Ignatius Chombo

The rains seem to be around the corner and committed farmers should have completed land preparations. It is pleasing to learn that infact, some farmers have already planted and in some areas the crops have germinated.  More than 19 600 farmers contracted by government under the Command Agriculture have received inputs.

Briefing journalists soon after the Zanu-PF Politburo meeting on Wednesday, the party’s secretary for administration Cde Ignatius Chombo said the Command Agriculture had registered some remarkable progress. He said most farmers contracted under the scheme had either started planting or were winding up land preparations.

Cde Chombo said at least 163 865 hectares of both irrigable and dry land are now under contract and 75 percent have been tilled. A recent survey of the provinces indicated that most farmers that have so far planted have irrigation facilities. Mashonaland Central province has so far planted 380 hectares of maize and part of the crop has already germinated while in Matabeleland North 200 hectares of maize have also been planted.

Farmers in both Midlands and Manicaland who have irrigation facilities have also started planting. Government has committed 400 000 hectares to be put under maize this cropping season and  expects to produce about two million tonnes which is almost the  nation’s annual consumption.

Government is also assisting farmers with inputs under the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme and there is therefore no reason why the country should not record a bumper harvest this season in the event of the country receiving good rains. The weather experts have predicted a normal to above normal rains in most parts of the country this season.

What is pleasing to note is that this year, Government availed inputs early and according to reports, most farmers have now received delivery of the inputs. Zimbabwe used to be southern Africa’s bread basket and indications are that it will regain this status beginning this season.

It is important for all those farmers  that have received inputs to ensure that they are put to good use. There have been reports in the past of farmers selling inputs and we believe Government has put in place mechanisms to guard against such abuse.

Communal and small-scale farmers before independence used to account for 80 percent of the maize produced in the country despite the fact that most of them were confined to poor soils.

Government has since addressed the skewed land ownership that favoured the minority white farmers and now more than 300 000 families have been allocated land in prime farming areas that used to be a preserve of the white farmers.

We have said it before that land is a finite resource and as such those that  have been privileged to be allocated land have an obligation to fully utilise it for the benefit of the nation. Those individuals that took over land for speculative purposes have no business to be on the land and should be removed as soon as possible.

Government has announced that command agriculture will be extended to livestock farming and this will benefit areas such as Matabeleland South, some parts of the Midlands and Masvingo provinces that are drought prone and as such crop farming is not viable.

We want at this juncture to urge  farmers to put extra effort this  season so that the country realises a bumper harvest which should mark a turning point of our economic growth given the fact that our economy is anchored on agriculture.