Staff Reporter
The Government has announced that measures are in place to ensure all wheat is harvested before the onset of the rainy season.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, in various interviews this month, highlighted these measures as part of a broader strategy to protect the valuable crop from potential weather damage.
According to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, Government has taken proactive steps to ensure a smooth harvesting process this season.
“This wheat harvesting season is expected to proceed smoothly, several guiding factors, such as planting databases and wheat clusters, will assist in efficiently deploying combine harvesters. The goal is to prevent any wheat from being affected by the anticipated early rains,” Professor Jiri said.
The Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services Acting Chief Director, Mr. Leonard Munamati echoed these sentiments, adding that the Government has identified functional combine harvesters to assist farmers.
“We have introduced winter wheat clusters to streamline logistics, ensuring that machinery is allocated to regions based on farmers’ needs. All our farmers, including smallholder farmers, will be assisted.
“Efforts are being made to connect irrigation schemes to financial and development institutions, such as the Agricultural Finance Corporation and the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, both of which have combine harvesters. However, some smaller schemes may still rely on traditional methods like sickles for harvesting,” he noted.
In Bikita, farmers at the Chinyamutuwa Irrigation Scheme are among those ready to start harvesting. Having planted nearly 30 hectares of winter wheat, they credited Government for its ongoing support in making their venture a success.
"We planted our wheat in May and managed to cover 25 hectares, the Government has been very supportive in providing inputs and technical advice. Initially, we expected to yield 10 tonnes per hectare, but due to some challenges, we’re now expecting slightly less. Overall, we’re satisfied, and after harvesting, we’ll deliver our wheat to the Nyika GMB depot," said one of the farmers in an interview.
Another farmer expressed confidence in completing the harvest before the rains.
"By the end of September, we will start harvesting our wheat, which is planted in blocks, so we are confident we can finish before the rains begin," Manongovere Enoch said.
Masvingo province alone saw 3,500 hectares of winter wheat planted this season, with harvesting expected to begin by the end of this month. The Government plans to dispatch six combine harvesters to assist farmers in the province, part of a larger national target of producing 600,000 metric tonnes of wheat from over 120,000 hectares planted this season.
As farmers brace themselves for the busy harvest period, there is optimism that the Government’s preparations will enable them to complete the process efficiently and avoid any losses due to early rains.
