Embrace Command horticulture, farmers urged

FARMERS in drought-prone Gutu have been urged to fully exploit existing water bodies in the district and venture into Command Horticulture to increase their production capacity and revenue generation.

Representatives of various seed houses in the district said communal farmers could significantly boost their income by turning to horticulture during the winter season while waiting for payments from the Grain Marketing Board for grain deliveries.

The call was made at Makumbe Village in Chiwara communal lands at a field day that was held at Mr Mohamad Gobvu’s homestead recently.

Speaking at the event, Klein Kangaroo (K2) merchandiser Mrs Otilia Nyoni noted that horticulture was a potential cash cow for communal farmers near water bodies.

“We want to encourage farmers here to practice Command Horticulture during the winter season starting from this year because this will significantly boost your incomes while waiting for other payments for grain deliveries to GMB,” she said.

“The most important thing is to make sure you grow the right crop varieties, and for example green vegetables give a farmer an opportunity to generate income on a daily basis.”

The sentiments were also echoed by Syngenta Agro-services field promoter Mr Claudious Mataga who urged farmers to treat farming as a business.

“We urge farmers to practice farming for business as Syngenta is more concerned about how farmers can boost yields per hectare,” he said.

“Our focus is to make sure farmers in arid areas grow drought-tolerant crops for them to be assured of a good harvest and this will inevitably help in ongoing efforts to ensure food security and national development.”

Zimbabwe Super Seeds operations and marketing manager Mr Edwin Mazhawidza said farmers should try seed produced by his firm because of its high content of zinc and iron.

“Sweet violet and NUA 45 beans has an added iron and zinc which is key for our health and we encourage our farmers to consider seeds that have health benefits to consumers,” he said.

Farmers in Chiwara communal lands could turn their area into a major horticultural hub taking advantage of idle and abundant water in the near-by Matezva Dam along the perennially flowing Mungezi River.

Transporting horticultural produce to the market is also easier considering the area’s proximity to the Mutare-Masvingo Highway.