Source: The Herald – Breaking news.
Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
Distribution of Pfumvudza inputs has intensified in all provinces as the Government moves to ensure that all smallholder farmers are brought into the system, with guaranteed entry for all so long as they do the hole digging and mulch collection required.
Smallholders in the scheme generally grow enough food for their families and once they have multiple plots can earn reasonable income from sales of their surplus. The scheme has the double aim of growing a lot more food and ensuring that rural incomes rise rapidly as smallholders move out of subsistence farming into the commercial sector.
Land preparation is currently underway with farmers busy with holing on their new plots and cleaning out the holes on established plots, gathering mulching material and other forms of organic matter to deposit in the planting stations, while securing fertilisers and other necessary chemicals as well.
This season the Government is targeting to distribute inputs to 3,5 million households countrywide under the Presidential Input scheme. Some of these will be urban as the small urban plots are upgraded to higher-yielding Pfumvudza plots.
The Government adopted the Pfumvudza/Intwasa concept to address the problems of low productivity, low production and low profitability in farming, which have in recent years been negatively affecting the food security of households and the nation, and depressing the potential income of farmers.
Small scale farmers going for the full five Pfumvudza plots generally grow at least three times as much food as their families can eat, so earning good incomes from the sales of the surplus, and with other income from crops such as cotton and tobacco and better livestock are moving into the middle-income group.
The concept has also come in handy as a way of mitigating the harsh effects of climate change that have caused severe food shortages in the wake of successive crop failures. This season the programme will support up to five Pfumvudza plots per household with an agro-ecological region-specific crop input package for maize, sorghum, pearl millet, soya beans, sunflower, groundnuts, vegetables and African peas
The Zunde RaMambo scheme will support 10 plots for Chiefs, seven plots for headmen and five plots each for village heads.
The Pfumvudza/Intwasa The Government Climate–Proofed Presidential Input Programme will target 3.5 million farmers from Communal, A1, Small-Scale Commercial Farming, Old Resettlement and the transient urban cultivation sectors for cereals, oilseeds and legumes.
Package for each household will be as follows: a 10kg pack of maize seed for farmers in regions 1 and 2; a 5kg pack for those in region 3; and a 2kg pack of either sorghum or pearl millet seed for those in regions 4 and 5.
Each farmer will also receive a 50kg bag of basal fertiliser, top-dressing fertiliser and lime. The package per farmer for other optional crops will be 2kg each for sorghum, sunflower, sugar beans and groundnuts as well as 1kg of pearl millet and African peas.
Tobacco Farmers Union Trust president Mr Victor Mariranyika said it is crucial to start Pfumvudza preparations now urging farmers to get their soil tested so that they put lime on time to boost productivity.“Other farmers have started digging holes. This is a good move because it shows that farmers are well prepared for the season. We encourage farmers to put lime before three months of planting as it encourages the soil to boost results. We are happy that farmers have embraced Pfumvudza concept which has so many benefits including higher yields,”he said.
It is exciting to note that the nation has scored bumper harvests following its adoption of the concept and looks set to consolidate those gains given the amount of resources it has committed to training personnel and equipping extension workers.
Extension workers have been provided with motor cycles to take care of mobility challenges that made it difficult for them to provide advisory services to all those farmers needing them.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Secretary General Mr Paul Zakariya said it is glad to note that the Government has started Pfumvudza inputs distribution so early to ensure that they maximise productivity.
He said land preparations are currently on with farmers also adding lime in their fields.
‘’Input distribution has started, we encourage farmers to do the preparations now because they are receiving inputs on time. We also encourage farmers to plant Pfumvudza with the first rains. We recognise our Government for their commitment to honour farmers by providing inputs early this season. This is greatly appreciated,” he said.
Poor agronomic practices, poor soils, the impact of climate change and failure to approach agriculture from a business perspective by both farmers and the extension system have been contributing to the country’s dip in agricultural productivity and production.
This has prompted the Government to look for simple, but effective ways such as Pfumvudza/Intwasa that is the subject of this offering. Pfumvudza/Intwasa is a form of conservation agriculture that has been practised for centuries and the concept has now returned coupled with a business motive.
The farmer pays close attention to the number of planting stations, plants per station and the average yield versus domestic requirements and the quantities targeted for the market. Pfumvudza/Intwasa does not require vast land, yet it yields good quantities of grain, hence the need for farmers to have started preparations for next season because the planting holes need to be ready for planting with the first effective rains.
The organic matter deposited into the planting stations needs to have decayed to reasonable levels for newly established plants to tap into it for nutrients.
The distribution of Pfumvudza inputs according to agro-ecological regions would boost agricultural productivity.
Pfumvudza, the climate-proofed Presidential Input Scheme, introduced in President Mnangagwa’s Second Republic has been hailed as an inclusive game changer benefiting vulnerable households in communal, A1, small scale commercial farming and old resettlement sectors in producing cereals, oil seeds and legumes.
Mrs Maggy Murambiwa of Marondera thanked the Government for timeous distribution of Pfumvudza inputs adding that this has benefited vulnerable groups who struggled to make ends meet.
“We are grateful for this noble initiative which will go a long way in sustaining families. Government has rescued many households. We are grateful for this support.
Getting inputs on time will mean a good harvest ahead of us,” she said.
Mrs Babara Mataire of Mazowe said she is grateful to receive inputs on time adding that she is hoping to increase hectares so as to achieve a bumper harvest the following season,” she said.
Mr Chamunorwa of Banket said Government’s commitment needs to be appreciated as it symbolises great hope in the next season.
“This is a commendable effort made by the Government. We are likely to achieve a bumper harvest in the following season since we get our inputs on time,” he said
Strategies that include enhancing input support and availability will ensure affordable financing, strengthening of small holder and large scale mechanisation; and implementing a grain swap scheme at the Grain Marketing Board which allows farmers in areas limited to traditional grains to swop up to a tonne for maize produced in the maize belt so they continue to have a varied diet.
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