Coming of the rain season

◆ the season could start soon preparations were going at a lackadaisical pace.

“We are all eagerly waiting for the season because we have been told that it will be good,” he said. “But the truth is that things are not going very well. Most farmers are yet to get inputs while lack of funding has become a major problem. Banks have completely turned their backs on us because they say we are a risky sector.

“For those in command agriculture the situation is better but for many of us it’s not looking good there is need for more effort from Government.”

Minister of Finance, Hon Patrick Chinamasa, in his mid-year fiscal review said preparations for the cropping season are going well with large sums of money having already been advanced for mechanisation and inputs.

“Preparations for the forthcoming summer cropping season are already underway and Government, in consultation with the private sector, is working on the respective financing arrangements,” he said.

“The forthcoming programme targets to put 2,25 million hectares under crop production at an estimated cost of over $1,5 billion. Mr Speaker Sir, intervention programmes benefitting livestock are also in place, and are estimated to require some $500 million”

Minister Chinamasa also said command agriculture which is expected to produce at least two million tonnes of maize on 400 000 hectares of land is going well. He said 310 000 hectares have already been identified for this project.

Be that as it may, after years of successive droughts Zimbabwe now has a chance to rebuild its stocks by capitalising on the anticipated good season.

It will be pretty much the case with the whole of Southern Africa as Zimbabwe’s outlook dovetails with that of Southern Africa Regional Outlook Forum (SARCOF) which predicted good rains for the region.

This also brings out the need for regional integration for strategic planning where food security is concerned.

It is also critical that the region works together in terms of improving irrigation and water harvesting.

This is taking, for instance, the case of Zimbabwe and Zambia who rely on Zambezi River for power generation, fisheries and tourism. The management and harvesting of water in this water body is critical for both these countries and their coming together in discussing the problem areas in light of the coming season is critical.

In Zimbabwe the outlook implies that the policies of small dam construction and borehole drilling, conservation and protection of wetlands should continue, more so in the Southern Provinces of the country.

This year agricultural output plunged 4,2 percent due to the El Nino-induced drought and Government will be looking to boost the sector this season.