The ManicaPost
Lovemore Kadzura
Rusape Correspondent
FIVE hundred small-scale farmers in Headlands have received a major lifeline after two banks and an agro-processing firm combined efforts and contracted them to grow 250 hectares of beans.
The farmers under the banner; Headlands Small-Scale Farmers Associations have since received Michigan Pea Bean seed from Cashel Valley, enough for each farmer to plant half a hectare of the lucrative crop.
Empower Bank will provide Compound D fertiliser and some chemicals, while Women’s Bank will avail Liquid Ammonium Nitrate to the farmers.
All the farmers have solar-powered boreholes that were availed through a partnership between their associations and various partners.
The association president, Mr Innocent Magutakuona, said they expect the partnership to flourish to dizzy heights as the farmers received training from Agritex and Cashel Valley officials.
He also said all the beneficiaries have a history of paying back loans as evidenced by the success of the borehole scheme.
Mr Magutakuona added that the funding from the three partners will help farmers to diversify and widen their earning options as Headlands is a predominantly tobacco and wheat growing hub.
“We are elated to announce that we have entered into a life changing partnership with Cashel Valley, Empower Bank and Women’s Bank to grow beans for Cashel Valley on a contract basis.
“We have been contracted to grow 250 hectares, so each farmer will do 0,5 hectares. The hectares will be increased as we progress.
“We are expected to produce at least 420 tonnes of beans, which translate to 1 750 tonnes per hectare. It is a sweet deal for the farmers as Cashel will pay US$1 050 for A grade, US$1 000 for B grade and US$950 for C grade per tonne. Farmers under our association should abide to the dictates of the contract and repay the loans. The association operates as a proper business entity.
“We have no water challenges as all the farmers benefitted from the solar-powered borehole schemes. There are ongoing negotiations for partnership to produce mangoes, peaches, guavas, avocadoes and oranges,” said Mr Magutakuona.
A beneficiary of the programme, Mrs Sharon Mapuranga of Chiropa area, said the partnership will help them graduate from peasant to commercial farmers.
She added that by dealing with Cashel Valley directly, this eliminated middlemen who always fleece them.
“I am happy that I am part of the programme. I used to grow sugar beans on my own, but stopped due to price distortions by middlemen. This kind of partnerships empower women like me because most of the times we cannot afford inputs on the open market. We also lack transport to take our produce to the markets,” she said
