Story by Gay Matambo
THE Government has urged farmers to accelerate wheat planting as the winter cropping season enters a critical phase, with only 30 days remaining before the national planting window closes.
Speaking at the Manicaland Winter Wheat Seminar held at Taguta Farm in Makoni District on Friday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, said timely planting was key to safeguarding yields.
Zimbabwe is targeting 125 000 hectares under wheat this season, with projected output expected to surpass 600 000 metric tonnes.
“We are urging all farmers to expedite planting so that we meet the cut-off date. We do not anticipate going beyond the deadline because yields become compromised thereafter,” said Professor Jiri.
He said Government had secured critical resources to support winter wheat production, including electricity, fuel and financing.
“As Government, we have secured critical enablers for winter production, including electricity, fuel and financing, to support farmers throughout the season and maximise yields,” he said.
Professor Jiri added that wheat seminars were being rolled out nationwide to equip farmers with technical knowledge and production guidelines.
“To ensure farmers are fully capacitated, provincial wheat seminars are being conducted across the country and cascaded down to district level,” he said.
Farmers who attended the seminar welcomed the Government support measures, particularly the ring-fencing of electricity for irrigation schemes.
“Knowing that Government has ring-fenced electricity for farming clusters gives us confidence to invest our time and labour. That support must be sustained until harvesting,” said one farmer.
Another farmer said input support under the Presidential scheme was helping growers maximise irrigation capacity.
“The Government’s input packages under the Presidential programme mean we can fully utilise our irrigation capacity instead of leaving fields idle,” the farmer said.
Manicaland Province is targeting 15 000 hectares under wheat this season, with the national planting deadline set for the end of May.
