BULAWAYO - Most newly resettled farmers in Umguza commercial farms in Matabeleland North will not harvest their winter crop following the destruction of the crop by heavy rains which have been pounding the province since last week.
Most farmers in the province failed to beat the harvesting October deadline due to a shortage of combined harvesters and labour.
Some farmers failed to plant their wheat in time because of inputs shortages.
Farmers who spoke to The Zimbabwean said they had lost their hard earned produce after rains destroyed the wheat.
I lost 50 % of my crop to hailstorm last week. I failed to harvest my crop in time because I failed to get a combined harvester. I normally hire the combine harvester from my neighbour, Aleck Robison but he was chased away from his property early this year, said Joseph Dube, a farmer in the area.
Another farmer, Susan Mathe, said the disaster would make it difficult for them to finance future farming activities.
I was hoping to sell my crop and be able to pay my workers salaries and also be able to procure some inputs for the summer season but its now history. Now I do not know how I am going to pay school fees for my children next year, she said.
An official of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZFCU) in Bulawayo, Charles Ncube, said many farmers across the country planted their winter wheat late due to shortages of inputs, forcing them to miss the harvesting deadline.
Winter wheat farming has continued to decline since 2007 where about 70 hectares was planted. This has been attributed to numerous challenges such as lack of adequate inputs and incessant power cuts.
The country needs over 300 000 tonnes of wheat for its annual consumption but this season it has been reported that farmers are only going to produce a paltry 40 000 tonnes.
Post published in: News