Source: ZESA reserves 150MW for winter wheat farming -Newsday Zimbabwe
Winter wheat farmers have been assured of adequate support this season with the country’s power utility reportedly also reserving 150 megawatts for the season.
Permanent secretary in the ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Obert Jiri, said the government had put in place comprehensive measures to ensure farmers have the necessary support from planting through to harvest.
He said seed availability had not been a challenge ahead of the wheat season, while fertiliser supplies had been secured despite pressures on global markets.
“Seed was never a stumbling block going into this season. On fertiliser, there were some challenges in the global market, but we had anticipated that and ensured that there were adequate supplies in the country before the season started,” he said.
Jiri said water availability had also remained stable, particularly for irrigation farmers who account for the bulk of wheat production.
Power supply, which remains critical for irrigation based wheat farming, has received special attention, with the ministry working closely with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC).
“We have meetings with ZESA and ZETDC every two weeks to make sure that farmers have adequate power for irrigation,” he said.
The permanent secretary said ZESA had reserved 150 megawatts specifically for wheat farmers, adding that no major power interruptions had affected irrigation activities during the current season.
“So far, we are assuring our farmers that there is no challenge as far as power is concerned for their yield,” Jiri said.
He said farmers had been organised into wheat clusters, with each cluster linked to ZESA through dedicated communication platforms to ensure faults were reported and attended to quickly.
With production targets on track, the ministry has now shifted focus towards improving yields, with a target of increasing productivity by 30 percent through better irrigation scheduling, fertiliser management and effective pest control.
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