Story by Gay Matambo
WINTER wheat production is on course in various parts of Chiredzi District, with farmers at Sicloed Range focusing on maximising yield per hectare after putting 120 hectares under the cereal crop this season.
The Joint Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture and Resettlement and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security was in Chiredzi North at Sicloed Range this Monday, on a fact-finding mission to assess progress in winter wheat production.
“We are going around the country in farms that have been contracted with ARDA. The intention is to establish how winter wheat is progressing and establish whether the hectarage on the ground is tallying with the inputs that were distributed. We are in Chiredzi and at this farm we have noticed that indeed there is a thriving, wheat crop and the farmer is expecting a bumper harvest, mind you, this is the Lowveld but the farmer managed to produce such a thriving crop,” said the chairperson of the Joint Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture and Resettlement and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security, Honourable Felix Maburutse.
Legislator for Chiredzi East constituency, Honourable Siyaki Mundungehama said, “We are assessing government’s winter wheat production programme which is aimed at ending food insecurity in the country. I’m happy with what I have seen and historically, wheat production was not done here in the Lowveld. Its an area which is popularly known for growing sugarcane so we are happy with what we are witnessing here.”
The cereal crop at Sicloed Range is already thriving and wheat farmers who are working closely with the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) are anticipating a good harvest.
“Here at Sicloed Chiredzi North range, we are happy because we are getting all the support we need from government. It’s our first time to grow wheat and we are expecting 8 to 10 tonnes per hectare this season,” said a farmer, Honourable Godfrey Mukungunugwa.
Another farmer, Mr Aaron Muvengwa said, “We are grateful to the President for supporting young farmers like us. We never thought that we were going to be able to grow wheat here in the Lowveld but through support from government and it’s departments like ARDA we are excelling.”
Government is confident a provincial target of 4 000 metric tonnes will be surpassed, given the thriving wheat crop across Masvingo province.
“We are witnessing the wheat drought mitigation strategy in motion. Here we have 120 hectares of wheat and it’s looking good. We only have a little bit of challenges with ZESA, but as you can see, we are watering. For this fact-finding mission I think we have verified ourselves we are satisfied that there is work going on here and we really believe that we can actually get there in terms of the tonnage we are expecting,” said Masvingo Provincial Director in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Mr Caleb Mahoya.
Over 120 000 hectares have been put under wheat countrywide, with the country targeting 600 000metric tonnes of the cereal crop.
