Farmers get down to business

FARMERS have started planting crops for this agriculture season with inputs distribution understood to be in full swing countrywide.

Over the years, farmers have cited late availability of inputs as hindering high harvests.

However, the situation is different this year in some areas.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs, Senator Larry Mavima, said crop planting in the area had begun.

“It is a good start in the Midlands Province after we received Presidential inputs on time and farmers are busy planting,” he said.

“We also thank DDF for the tillage. It is helping, especially those who lost their cattle due to drought. Unfortunately, some farmers may delay to plant due to heavy rains that were received in some parts of the province.”

In another interview, Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs Minister, Mrs Appolonia Munzverengi, commended Government for distributing farming inputs early.

“We have received rains across the province and farmers are busy in the fields,” she said.

“We are very happy and we thank our President that this year Presidential inputs came on time and we started distributing them about three weeks ago.

Zimbabwe National Farmers’Union chief executive Mr Edward Dune said Government farm inputs had been availed on time.

He said their main worry was whether “the distribution of rainfall becomes normal.”

However, Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union president Mr Shadreck Makombe said some farmers were not on the Government inputs target, hence were failing to purchase inputs due to high costs.