Story by Tapiwa Machemedze
THE Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme has proved effective in boosting crop yields for the sixth consecutive season, with farmers in Mashonaland Central Province on the brink of a bumper harvests.
Abel Masunga of Nyabvuti farm is a model farmer in Guruve district, thanks to the successful pfumvudza/intwasa scheme popularised by the government in 2020.
“I started Pfumvudza almost 15 years ago through learning from foundations for farming, a local organisation. Pfumvudza is helping me with my family, we no longer have food problems, I sell maize every year. We grew maize soybeans and cowpeas so this year we are expecting 11 tonnes on our hectare plot. To succeed in this programme, you have to personalise. It beyond the free Presidential inputs because you may not get free inputs one day. On one hand the national silo is benefitting from how I am farming. I will sell to the GMB part of my crops,” Mr Masunga said.
Mr Masunga has recorded so much success under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme such that Mashonaland Central Provincial agronomists, input suppliers and government officials converged at his farm this Tuesday to learn and demonstrate the effectiveness of conservation farming.
“We urge farmers to learn from what some farmers are doing as we have seen in Guruve. This being a programme encouraged by the Ministry of Agriculture is looking at the aspect of food security at household level. So, we want many farmers when we have a field day to see how Pfumvudza is done especially using our seed from valley seeds, how it fairs and the type of harvest generated from it,” Commercial Business Director for Valley Seeds, Mr Tich Mapongah said.
“We are there to breed seeds that suit our environments so that farmers do not continue to farm old seeds,” Research and Development Manager for Growtrade Seeds, Mr Petros Guvheya said.
Agriculture contributes 33 % to Mashonaland Central Province’s gross domestic product, and the government is impressed by the contribution of farmers like Musunga to agricultural productivity.
“Yield per hectare is the main thrust here, and it is the strategy which we have followed here. Farming huge pieces of land will take time, resources and energy. So maximising productivity is the way to go. On your hectare, you are going to reap 11 tonnes which is commendable and is what the government is encouraging,” Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Christopher Magomo said.
With the majority of Pfumvudza farmers on the verge of securing bumper harvests, the government is shifting focus on the upcoming winter wheat season.
