Story by Tendai Munengwa
The agriculture sector has received a massive boost with more than 35 000 metric tonnes of top-dressing fertiliser being shipped into the country.
This comes at a time when over 7 000 metric tonnes are already in the country ready for distribution to farmers.
Goods train wagons carrying imported fertiliser for the Presidential Inputs Scheme have arrived in Harare for distribution to farmers across the country.
“We have already commenced distributing AN with the first batch of about 5 000 metric tonnes already dispatched to farmers. We want to assure the Pfumvudza/ Intwasa farmers that top dressing is coming via GMBs and we encourage them to take advantage of an sunny break to apply this AN,” said Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri.
The company given the mandate to supply AN fertilizer, FSG is moving 35 300 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser.
“We have loaded this fertilizers from South Africa and bringing it here on a daily basis. So there is plenty of AN and we are confident that we will finish importing it on time,” said one of the truck drivers.
The fertiliser is being offloaded at Bak Storage in Harare and will be taken to various Grain Marketing Board depots for collection by farmers.
“Today we have received 22 trucks from South Africa and we have offloaded them and another 80 wagons at Lochinvar Yard. We are expecting to start offloading them this Thursday morning,” said Bak logistic, head operations Shane Dicks.
Over 3,5 million households have benefited under this year’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme which is now the country’s food security flagship.
