Midlands increases Command hectarage

THE Midlands Province has increased this year’s hectarage under the Command Agriculture Programme and Presidential Inputs Scheme to 20 000 up from last year’s 17 000 hectares.

In an interview yesterday, Midlands provincial crop and livestock officer Medliner Magwenzi said the province was also targeting 1 000 hectares under soya beans.

“We will be increasing the number of hectares under Command and Presidential Input Scheme this time around. As a province, we have applied for inputs to cover 20 000 hectares for Command Agriculture and inputs to cover 1 000 hectares for soya beans under the 2017-2018 farming season.”

Mrs Magwenzi said farmers across the province have started receiving inputs such as seed, fertiliser and fuel.

She however, expressed concern over the seed tonnage that the province has received so far which she said was not enough to cover all the province’s 10 districts.

“Seed is the critical input that farmers need most at the moment but the challenge is that some districts are yet to receive the inputs because the province is yet to receive enough. The inputs are coming and are making efforts to make sure that all the districts receive seed as soon as possible,” she said.

Meanwhile, Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister, Cde Jason Machaya yesterday said the province will give first preference to remote areas when distributing inputs.

He said there were some areas in Gokwe and Mberengwa districts which are inaccessible once the rainy season starts.

“Last year, farmers in these remote areas did not do well under both Command Agriculture and Presidential Input Scheme and are in need of food aid. So this time around, we have said let’s give them first preferences by availing them with all the inputs before the rains fall,” he said.

Minister Machaya said the province was also giving food aid to these remote areas before the rains.

“We have said let the inputs distribution run concurrently with food aid in these areas.

We have deliberately done this so that we avoid scenarios where some would be tempted to sell or exchange the inputs for food,” he said.