The Sunday Mail
Elita Chikwati and Andrew Muvishi
Zimbabwe is moving towards ensuring national food security through leveraging on optimum crop production, mechanisation and risk mitigation strategies.
Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga said this during a tour of farms in Mashonaland East Province last week. Using irrigation facilities and growing traditional grains, he said, was key to food security and militating against climate change-induced adverse weather conditions.
He first toured Bally Vaughan Farm in Goromonzi before travelling to Marondera to get an appreciation of production at Mhembwe Farm, which is run by Mr Stanley Masaiti.
“Our visits are meant to showcase the success stories of determined Zimbabwean farmers, despite the scepticisms of those who do not wish us success.We are also here to appreciate and assess the challenges on the ground and find mechanisms to mitigate them together,” said the Vice President.
“In this regard, the most applicable options in agriculture are to optimise yield, including mechanisation, diversification, integration and risk mitigation.
“The promotion of traditional grains and use of irrigation, where there is water, fits well into climate-sensitive agriculture and is the way to go for Zimbabwe. Instead of merely relying on rain-fed agriculture, it is pleasing to note that our host farmer today, Mr Stanley Masaiti, has irrigation facilities, which gives room for all year-round cropping ventures that we are witnessing today (last Friday).”
Government, he added, had set aside $6 billion to support the growth of traditional grains and winter wheat this season.
A national target of 416 000 tonnes of wheat from 65 000 hectares funded through Smart Agriculture and 15 000 hectares under the private sector has been set.
Zimbabwe requires 400 000 tonnes of wheat annually. “We must now start looking at Himalayas and Nyanga to see if we can grow wheat so we do not import.
Every farmer with a water body should grow wheat this season,” he said. Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri, who was part of the touring delegation, said the Government was deliberately capacitating wheat farmers to reduce imports of the cereal.
“As Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, we want to make sure our wheat farmers are capacitated. We have set aside $6 billion and $3,2 billion is meant for wheat farmers. We are not going to keep importing wheat from other countries, yet we have a region with water like Marondera,” he said.
Speaking during the same visit, Minister of Energy and Power Development Fortunate Chasi assured wheat farmers of uninterrupted electricity supply this season.
“As a country, we have a plan for our farmers. We are going to prepare our (electricity generation) plant at Hwange, but our first priority (for power provision) is going to farmers.
“However, as a ministry, we are facing a challenge of thieves who are stealing our (electricity) transformers,” said Minister Chasi. Earlier at Bally Vaughan Farm, Finance and Economic Development Deputy Minister Clemence Chiduwa said: “Government is going to provide resources required for wheat production.
“The enablers have been put in place. We will support farmers and ensure power, which is a key enabler in wheat production, is available.”
Minister of State for Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs Apollonia Munzverengwi said the province had engaged Agritex officers to assist wheat farmers. Zimbabwe has been a net wheat importer due to high production costs and associated risks of the crop.
