The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
ABOUT 5 453 tonnes of fertiliser for the Pfumvudza Programme have so far been delivered to Manicaland ahead of the 2022/23 agricultural season, while President Mnangagwa will distribute 2 760 goats today (Friday) in Chipinge.
The moves seek to secure the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and mitigate climate change shocks.
Grain Marketing Board (GMB) chief executive, Mr Rockie Mutenha, confirmed yesterday that the delivered consignment includes 4706mt of Compound D and 447t of top dressing fertiliser.
Mr Mutenha said the total Pfumvudza package for Manicaland includes 24 150t of Compound D and top dressing fertiliser, 2 469t of maize seed, 314mt of traditional grains and 483 000 combo packs of vegetable seed.
The Pfumvudza programme will benefit 461 573 households, with 272 535 households having already undergone training.
Last season, the programme assisted 350 000 households, up from the 250 000 registered in 2021.
This season, Manicaland targets to put 265 000 hectares under maize, of which 20 000ha will be under Command Agriculture.
The small grains target has been set at 100 000ha.
Meanwhile, about 3 442 households in 24 Chipinge villages are expected to benefit from the Presidential Goat Scheme which seeks to commercialise rural goat production to improve household nutrition and income.
Goat production has been identified as one of the key climate-proofed livestock production systems that guards against climatic shocks as enunciated in the Livestock Growth Plan.
The two Presidential Input Programmes – Pfumvudza and the Goat Scheme – are targeting small-holder farmers in communal, A1, old resettlement and small-scale commercial farms.
This will boost cereals, horticulture, goats, traditional chickens, and fruit production to contribute towards the attainment of food and nutrition security at household level.
Acting director, Agriculture Advisory and Rural Development Services (AARDS), Mrs Phillipa Rwambiwa said in the 2022/23 agricultural season, Government will support small-holder farmers in crop production, livestock production and fisheries.
“Goat production has been identified as one of the key climate-proofed livestock production systems as given in the Livestock Growth Plan. An initial 2760 goats will be distributed to rural households in Chisuma, Chipinge, by President Mnangagwa,” said Mrs Rwambiwa.
The programme will see the distribution of 600 000 does and 32 001 bucks across the country.
An initial 600 000 households will benefit from the programme over five years.
This will be followed by a pass on the gift scheme which will continue until all rural households benefit.
Mrs Rwambiwa explained that beneficiaries will benefit from the Presidential Goat Scheme in three phases.
The first group of beneficiary households will pass on eight-month-old goats to the second group of beneficiaries within their localites.
These will in turn pass on the goats to the third and final group of beneficiaries such that every household is covered.
The pass on programme will commence as soon as the first kids are born.
Vulnerable groups, as identified through the Ministry of Public Services and Social Welfare’s database, will benefit in the first phase.
These include people with disabilities, child or youth-headed families, the elderly and widows.
Each beneficiary will receive one doe, while a group of 20 beneficiaries living in the same community will receive one buck to be used for breeding.
Other farmers in the community will also have access to the buck at no cost.
As the country forges ahead in ensuring food security at household level, Manicaland is expected to ride on the positive projections made by weather and climate experts.
The country is expected to receive normal to above-normal rainfall between October and March 2023.
According to a statement released at the end of the annual Southern Africa Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF 26) which was hosted virtually by the SADC Climate Services Centre (CSC), experts forecast that the bulk of the region, including Zimbabwe, is likely to receive normal to above-normal rainfall during the upcoming season.
Provincial agronomist for AARDS, Mr Cephas Mlambo said the Pfumvudza Programme, which accounted for 56 percent of grain produced in Manicaland last season, will support five plots measuring 39mx16m per household.
Agro-ecological region-specific crop input packages will cater for maize, sorghum, pearl millet, soya beans, sunflower, groundnuts, vegetables and African peas production.
The package will also include water retention enhancers, herbicides for three plots and fall armyworm control packages.
“Farmers in Natural Regions One and Two will each get 10kgs of maize seed, 50kg basal dressing, 50kg top dressing, 50kg lime, 200ml of fall armyworm pesticide, one unit of water enhancer and one unit of post planting herbicides.
“Those in Natural Region Three will get 5kg maize seed, 2kg sorghum or 1kg pearl millet, 2kg sunflower, 1kg cowpeas or 2kg groundnuts or 2kg sugar beans, fertilizer and the other inputs as stated above.
“In Natural Region Four and Five, farmers will get 2kg maize seed and the other inputs,” he said.
Apart from upscaling the programme to five plots, the Pfumvudza Programme will this season include cotton for farmers in extremely dry areas of Nyanga, Chipinge, Buhera, Makoni and Mutare districts.
It is hoped that by mid-October, all the farmers will be ready to plant with the first rains.
Pfumvudza was formulated to enhance and commercialise agricultural productivity in communal rain-fed areas by focusing on integrated farming, moisture conservation efficiency, soil health management and resource conservation.
The programme involves soil reconditioning.
Farmers are given information on the nutrient status of their soils, along with recommendations on the appropriate dosage of nutrients required to improve its health and fertility.
Farmers must do soil tests and apply lime and fertilisers as per the recommendations of the test results.
