The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
MANICALAND is now on course to surpass its revised winter wheat target of 10 000 hectares, with about 9 375 ha already under the cereal crop before the lapse of the extended deadline.
Planting should have ended on May 31, but the window was extended by two weeks to June 15.
The province was initially given a target of 9 500ha, and farmers are doing justice to it as 93,7 percent of the new target has already been planted with a week to go before the new deadline.
Such efforts will guarantee good wheat yields.
Acting Deputy Director, Agriculture Advisory and Rural Development Services (AARDS), Mr Nomatter Manunure said of the 9 300 hectares planted so far in Manicaland, 8 878 hectares have germinated and farmers are irrigating.
He said the cereal crop is at various stages of growth.
Mr Manunure said planting is in full swing and expressed optimism that the province will surpass its new target.
“We encourage farmers to keep planting up to June 15, and we are sure we will beat the target.
“We are also encouraging farmers to employ good agronomical practices and pest control as well as do proper irrigation scheduling,” he said.
Mr Manunure said about 3 916ha were planted under the Presidential Inputs Programme (PIP), while 3643ha have germinated.
The PIP accounts for the biggest planted area in the province.
Apart from the PIP, some farmers got assistance from CBZ Bank under the National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS).
The NEAPS accounts for 282 hectares to date, against a target of 485ha.
Only farmers from Makoni were contracted under NEAPS.
AFC Bank has contracted 25ha in Chipinge, which have all germinated.
Private contractors sponsored 792ha – with 698ha being in Makoni and 94ha in Mutare District.
About 1 935,6ha of wheat are self-financed.
Of these, 844,5ha are in Makoni, 640ha in Mutasa, 366ha in Nyanga, 35ha in Mutare, 24,5ha in Chimanimani, 15,8ha in Buhera and 10,8ha Chipinge.
The Agriculture and Rural Development Agency (ARDA) is also assisting irrigation schemes in the province in line with Government’s policy to turn them into wheat greenbelts.
About 2 324ha were planted under ARDA.
ARDA is supporting about 10 irrigation schemes in Buhera, Chipinge, Makoni, Mutare, Mutasa and Nyanga with inputs.
Nyanga has the largest planted area under ARDA (1 510ha).
Meanwhile, Government has acquired nine drones that will be deployed to each wheat growing province to complement the Department of Migratory Pests and Biosecurity Control’s efforts to combat the quelea birds.
According to statistics, quelea birds contribute to over 95 percent of wheat losses annually if left uncontrolled.
Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services Chief Director, Professor Obert Jiri said the drones will help to combat quelea birds.
“In terms of protecting the wheat yield, the biggest threat to our wheat yield is the quelea bird.
“In Zimbabwe, we have four breeding sites that we have mapped. As part of moving on with technology, we have now acquired nine drones, one for each agricultural province and one on standby.
“We have already trained our technicians on how to utilise the drones,” said Professor Jiri.
He also encouraged farmers to take advantage of the extended window to plant more wheat.
This season, Government has earmarked to put 90 000 hectares under winter wheat, with a projected output of over 432 000 metric tonnes, thus surpassing the country’s annual wheat requirements.
In a bid to minimise the duration of power outages due to network faults throughout the season, the country’s power utility has established support groups for winter wheat farmers for effective communication and expeditious resolution of faults.
Wheat farmers have been urged to join these groups through their cluster leadership.
The power utility has also advised farmers that the National Contact Centre will be available for continuous and timeous support throughout the season.
