Access to farming inputs: Govt tightens screws

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

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 Professor Obert Jiri

Precious Manomano, Herald Reporter

TO enhance food security and ensure equitable access to agricultural resources, Government has introduced new securitised cards as part of its strategy to prevent the abuse of agricultural inputs under the Presidential Inputs Programme and the ARDA Joint Venture.

This innovative initiative is designed to ensure that deserving farmers can access essential inputs without the risk of exploitation, ultimately fostering a more sustainable agricultural environment in the country.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, said only those farmers possessing input cards will be eligible to participate in the Pfumvudza programme, which has been a game-changer in the country’s rural provinces.

Furthermore, ARDA will now only contract farmers who have title deeds or assist those seeking to obtain them.

This change marks a major departure from previous practices, where some farmers borrowed funds from various banks but later turned to ARDA for inputs, believing they could evade repayment due to its status as a Government parastatal.

Professor Jiri explained the rationale behind these changes.

“There have been some variations now in the way we are going to implement the input programmes. On the ARDA programme, we have had cases where farmers borrow funds from different banks and they revert to ARDA saying ARDA is the Government’s parastatal so we will not pay.

“That input support programme from ARDA will now contract a farmer or enter into a joint venture programme with a farmer with title deeds or a farmer whom they help get title deeds. So those deeds now will be deposited in the bank. If the farmer fails to pay, the deeds will be deposited there so that we will ensure that farmers pay the bank and we will have a better recovery rate,” he said.

With the introduction of the input card, farmers will be required to access agricultural supplies from agro-dealers or GMB using this card, which will be linked to a bank account, effectively functioning as a debit card.

Prof Jiri said this system will include a tracking mechanism that verifies the identity of registered farmers, reducing instances of input abuse.

“That will reduce incidents of input abuse because now only a farmer with a card can access inputs. All the farmers who are beneficiaries of Pfumvudza should have a card.

“The card becomes their identity because we were seeing the abuse of inputs. With a card, we can now track farmers; it will reflect all transactions,” Professor Jiri said.

The implementation of this new initiative is set to commence this winter and will extend into the summer season, with the processing of input cards already underway.

ARDA is expected to oversee 60 000 hectares during the winter season, with approximately 35 000 hectares allocated to joint ventures, while the Presidential Inputs Programme will cover 5 000 hectares.

Prof Jiri said farmers involved in irrigation schemes supported under the Presidential Inputs Programme need to have new cards to access inputs.

In addition to improving access to inputs, this new system aims to curb theft, as farmers will be responsible for taking their inputs using their cards.

Reactions from the farming community have been largely positive.