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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
SIBONGOKUHLE Masuku (45) from Gwanda District is expecting her first good harvest in eight years after she took a bold decision to focus on producing traditional grains.

Ms Masuku, who is from Mahlokohloko Village in Ward 4, yesterday hosted a village field day where farmers gathered to witness the fruits of producing traditional grains. She has been mainly producing maize since 2015 when she relocated from Nkayi to Gwanda. Ms Masuku has been recording a poor harvest due to poor rains in the area.

This farming season she put four plots under sorghum which are now ready for harvesting.

The farmer said she took heed of Government’s call for farmers in her area to focus on producing traditional grains.

“I have been producing in my fields for the past eight years without luck. I was mainly producing maize, but it hasn’t been doing well. I have been mostly relying on buying mealie meal as my harvest has failed to sustain me. This year I decided to focus more on traditional grains. I planted short variety sorghum and it has performed well. I’m looking forward to harvesting 12 by 50kg bags of sorghum. This harvest will be enough to sustain me and my family up to the next farming season,” she said.

Ms Masuku said she mainly grows the red sorghum variety which is not consumed much by birds when compared to the white sorghum variety. She planted her crop at the end of October following the first rains. Ms Masuku received her traditional grain seed from Government under the Presidential Input Scheme.She also used fertiliser which she received under the Government programme.

“I have seen the benefits of the Presidential Input Programme because I received sorghum seed and Compound D fertiliser which has helped me to produce. The seed variety which I received has performed well. Government has also assisted us with education that we have been getting from Agritex officers,” she said.

Quelea birds which are a common menace to traditional grain farmers threatened to affect her produce, but Ms Masuku said she deviced a mechanism to keep the birds away.

“When I have crops in the fields I make it a point to keep watch for birds whenever I’m done with my chores. I also made a web of strings above the field and attached some cans filled with small stones. These are all joined to a string which is tied to a tree.

When birds come I pull that string which then shakes the tins and the stones make noise and the birds fly away. This is easier than trying to chase the birds by moving around,” said Ms Masuku.

Speaking during the field day, Gwanda District Agritex Officer, Ms Zimhlophe Ndlovu urged farmers to concentrate on producing traditional grains to ensure food and nutrition security. She said traditional grains also have huge health benefits which makes them ideal for consumption. Ms Ndlovu urged farmers to learn from the host of the field day who has managed to maximise production on the available land. She also urged farmers to take advantage of Government programmes such as the Presidential Input Scheme which seeks to empower and capacitate farmers.

“We are glad that women are coming up and they are playing an active role in enhancing food production in the district. Let’s learn from this farmer that we have visited today. If she can produce so much what can stop the rest of us. If we produce then we will have money to sustain our families. Let’s desist from growing maize as it doesn’t do well in this area,” she said.

Farmers from the area said they benefited greatly from the field day and expressed interest in adopting traditional grains. More farmers in Matabeleland South are adopting traditional grains and they have seen the benefits of small grain when compared to maize.

“I have been greatly inspired by what I’m seeing here today. I have been reluctant to adopt traditional grains because we have always produced maize crop. I haven’t been harvesting much from maize crop and I have now decided to shift towards small grains as I have seen the benefits. In our village those who focused more on producing small grains will record better harvest,” said a villager, Mr Patrick Ncube.

Under the Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) this season, Government is targeting 312 890 ha under traditional grains such as sorghum and pearl millet with a projected combined yield of 318 383 tonnes. This is reflected in the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme where farmers in areas unsuitable or marginal for maize have traditional grain seed packs instead, to boost the chances of a decent harvest, and even in the wetter areas are advised to plant one plot of traditional grain.

Maize has been a popular crop, with many farmers producing it at commercial level, while others in the drier parts of the country have also continued to try their luck despite low yields and the risk of a write-off. But traditional crops such as sorghum, pearl millet and rapoko are slowly becoming popular as people are becoming aware of their high nutritional value and improvement in technology which has seen the introduction of machinery for processing them.

Farmers in dry areas have been urged to grow traditional grains in order to increase the chances of harvest.