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Godfrey Chikwenhere

Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
THE lax control measures at Zimbabwe’s borders have over the years contributed to the movement of pest infested seeds into the country, an official said.

Di­rec­tor in the De­part­ment of Re­search and Specialist Ser­vices in the Min­istry of Agri­cul­ture, Mechanisation and Ir­ri­ga­tion Devel­op­ment Dr God­frey Chik­wen­here said the country risks losing substantial export earnings from its crops due to porous borders where seeds with emerg­ing crop pests are finding their way into the country from neighbouring countries.

He said this at a field day organised by the department’s Research Services Division at Chentali Irrigation Scheme in Hwange district last Thursday.

“Our borders are porous, but we also want to educate our communities so that farmers refrain from planting foreign seeds that have not been approved by Government. Let the seeds be cleared by Government officials to ensure that they are safe for planting,” he said.

Dr Chikwenhere said planting or bringing in seeds not approved by Government will result in a lot of pests that will cost Government a lot of money to control.

He said in the event of an outbreak of pests, other countries might ban Zimbabwean exports.

“There are so many negative things that happen when pests invade a country. Some countries might refuse to buy our crops because we have a certain pest in our country,” he said.

Dr Chikwenhere said farmers should also desist from applying pesticides that are not recommended by agricultural experts as it would have a negative impact on their yields.

He said in an effort to  equip farmers with the requisite knowledge in plant health, his department was planning to put up Plant Health Clinics in all the country’s provinces and it will start by converting its substations in Chipinge, Chiredzi, Mutare, Sabi, Nyanga, Gweru, Kwekwe, Gokwe, Kadoma, Chinhoyi, Muzarabani, Shamva, Bindura and Karoi into clinics.

The field day was attended by experts from Plant Protection Research Institute, Plant Quarantine Services Institute, Seed Services Institute, Chemistry and Soils Research Institute and Farm Feeds, Fertilisers and Remedies Institute. — @DNsingo