Govt targets 300 tonnes sugar beans seed

GOVERNMENT, in partnership with a consortium of development agencies, has put 155 hectares in Mwenezi and Beitbridge districts under contract farming to revitalise irrigation schemes in the two areas and to produce an estimated 300 tonnes of sugar beans seed, an official has said.

The country’s largest seed producer; Seed Co is providing the inputs and technical assistance to the farmers under the auspices of the Programme for Growth and Resilience (PROGRESS).

The PROGRESS blue print is being implemented under the stewardship of the Ministry of Agriculture and seeks to address causes of vulnerability and improves absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities of communities.

Speaking during a field day held at Tongwe irrigation scheme, 60km west of Beitbridge town yesterday, Seed Co’s sales manager for southern region, Mr Charles Munyoro said the contract farming was being implemented in Mwenezi and Beitbridge districts respectively.

“The project is running at seven irrigation schemes that is at two in Mwenezi district and at five others in Beitbridge. Thus a total of 155 ha has a potential to yield 300 tonnes (of sugar beans seed) with an estimated value of $500 0000,” said Mr Munyoro.

“Making irrigation based agriculture commercially viable, contract farming is an effective model for involving private sector actors and prompting a shift from food security to a market based approach.

“In 2016, Cesvi which is leading agency in PROGRESS in Beitbridge put Shashe irrigation scheme’s 30 hectares on contract farming with Seed-Co and produced a net income of $64 000.

“The hectares and irrigation schemes have been increasing annually due to the confidence and demands by communities of the initiative (contract farming)”.

The organisation’s sales manager for prime-seeds, Mr Silas Mutota urged communal farmers to embrace horticulture under the irrigation schemes to improve on issues of sustainability.

“It is very critical to also focus on horticulture in your progress as a way of improving quick returns, while at the same time working on long term income generating projects,” he said.

An agriculture extension officer from Beitbridge, Mrs Chenjemulene Madzivanyika said; “As a society lets embrace such development initiatives as we seek to move from subsistence to commercial farming.”