A survey carried out by The Zimbabwean this week revealed that only a few farmers have already planted the winter crop. Some farmers said they had been forced to either reduce the wheat hectare or abandon the crop due to a shortage of inputs and incessant power cuts.
I have been to the GMB depot in Bulawayo more than 10 times seeking wheat seed but I have been told lots of stories. The crops planting deadline has already lapsed. Last week we had a meeting and resolved to pull our resources together and buy the inputs in South Africa. where they are in abundance and much cheaper, said Herbert Molekai, a farmer in Nyamandlovu.
Molekai also cited the incessant Zimbabwe Power Holdings power cuts which he said has discouraged a lot of farmers in the area from planting the crop this year. A lot of farmers in the area last season lost almost their entire crop because of power outages. Growing a winter crop is now a huge risk in this country. The banks are not willing to fund irrigated wheat production because of the high risks associated with the crop, said Molekai.
The few remaining white commercial farmers in the area have also shunned the crop citing the uncertainty surrounding their future following a new wave of farm invasions triggered by Zanu (PF)s recent talk of elections . Since the talk of a possible election this year I have scaled down farming operations at my. Elections bring bad memories to most white commercial farmers. These days we are focusing mainly on garden farming, said Robert Hawkins, who grew winter wheat for many years.
This year the Ministry of Finance has released $10 million for wheat production. Agriculture experts say the money is not enough to cover 10 000 hectares. Zimbabwe requires about 450 000 tonnes for its consumption annually.
Post published in: News