ZCFU president, Wilson Nyabonda, said the inputs would enable their members to adequately prepare for the forth-coming season. “Our farmers were facing serious challenges in accessing money from the banks so the union has come up with a US$30 million worth of inputs were they can come and borrow for the upcoming season,” he said. The inputs, which will be distributed to farmers, are in the form of fertilisers, chemicals and seeds. Nyabonda said the facility would only be extended to farmers growing tobacco, horticulture, and food crops.
“The reason why we are targeting tobacco farmers is because it’s the country’s largest foreign currency. We also intend to assist farmers that are into horticulture because it also has the potential to generate large some of foreign currency through exports,” he said. Nyabonda said there was need to revive the country’s horticultural exports, which have experienced a decline over the last decade.
“Our horticultural farmers are failing to compete on the export market and we have come up with this inputs loan facility to fully capacitate them to be competitive in the region,” he said. However, Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU), second vice president, Bearen Mukwende said there was likely to be a challenge with regards to the adequate availability of seed as the government was still to unveil its US$30 million for grain national inputs.
“This season is a big challenge as national inputs for grain were expected from the government after an announcement that US$30million would be available, but so far nothing has materialised and the season is at an advanced stage,” he said.
ZFU and other agricultural organisations have put in place various programmes aimed at providing inputs and technical expertise.
“As a union we have several schemes such as the agri-seeds programme where farmers access fertiliser and seed during the month of October and pay only 25 per cent and then repay the rest in five month instalments. Then there is the Food and Agriculture Organisation programme under conservation farming to benefit only 4000 farmers in districts of Umguza, Uzumba-Marambapfungwe, Marondera, Hurungwe, Guruve and Rusape. A private company Nelma is also contracting farmers. The Grain Marketing Board has also come up with a facility of exchanging fertiliser for maize.
Post published in: News