The Sunday Mail
Livingstone Marufu
Over 500 farmers have applied to participate in the Command Agriculture Scheme, and Government is assessing their capacity to produce at least 1 000 tonnes of grain annually. Assessors are mainly checking production and debt records to determine eligibility, and feedback to the farmers will be swift to ensure rapid resource deployment. The US$500 million scheme is targeting 2 000 farmers who will be allocated land, seeds, fertilisers, chemicals and irrigation equipment to produce food for the nation.
Outlining the three-year programme in July 2016, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said those with 100 hectares of land, large water bodies and a minimum of five years’ farming experience will be considered when the final list is compiled.
Each farmer is supposed to produce at least 1 000 tonnes of grain, with 400 000 hectares earmarked for the scheme, guaranteeing two million tonnes annually.
Participants will retain the surplus.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail; Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira said the scheme will transform Zimbabwe’s agriculture.
“We are in the process of identifying 2 000 productive farmers who can help us feed the nation by producing more than two million metric tonnes of cereals under the 400 000 hectares. More than 500 farmers across the country have visited the Ministry of Agriculture and Agritex offices to be considered.
“Those who are going to make it onto the final list will carry the burden of more than 14 million people on their shoulders. So, there is no room for mistakes in executing their duties of producing over two million tonnes per year.”
Cde Marapira went on: “We don’t only want productive farmers, but straightforward farmers with a track record and who can only sell their crop to the Grain Marketing Board, nowhere else.
“In this programme, we don’t tolerate any side-marketing. You can be a very good farmer, but if you sell your cereals somewhere else, we will certainly disqualify you. We only accommodate professional farmers with good ethics, people who can religiously follow their contract obligations.”
The Deputy Minister said Cabinet has tasked the Ministries of Agriculture, Lands and Rural Resettlement and that of Environment, Water and Climate to identify farmers and water sources, adding that “another group of farmers is setting up irrigation equipment just in case targeted producers fail to qualify for the scheme”.
“We are not leaving anyone (out of) the irrigation scheme, but we are helping each farmer according to the available water bodies, farm sizes and the ability of each farmer. We are constructing big, medium and small dams for our farmers.
“In Mwenezi, we have set up a big dam and more large dams have been constructed along Mazowe River. One of the biggest dams in Mashonaland Central is situated in Bindura.
“In addition, we are drilling boreholes in rural areas to make sure folks there do drip irrigation to feed their families and communities.”
