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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Reporter—

FARMERS at Sherwood Block, Kwekwe, lost about 350 hectares of crops following a hailstorm that hit the area on Sunday afternoon. The block in which Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s farm is also located, has a total of 2 500 hectares of irrigable land.Farmers from the area export produce such as paprika and flowers earning the country the much needed foreign currency.

Farmers said the hailstorm lasted about 30 minutes from around 4PM on Sunday but left a trail of destruction running into thousands of dollars.

Kwekwe District Agricultural Extension Officer Mrs Virginia Samakowa, said farmers were counting their losses.

“We lost about 350 hectares of crops in Sherwood Block. This block is the bread basket of the province since it has 2 500ha of irrigable land. Some of the crops were destroyed beyond saving and farmers are counting their losses,” she said.

Mrs Samakowa said farmers are encouraged to stagger planting so that their crops are at different stages to avoid total loss of their crops.

An official for Agriseeds, Mr Ivan Craig who was in the area accessing the extent of the damage, said Sherwood Block was a special area since it has the most irrigable land in the province.

He said farmers in the area should not lose hope since over 2 000 hectares of crop were still intact.

“For those whose crop was completely destroyed, they should use the maize to feed their cattle so that they have a bit of return and quickly plant another crop,” he said.

Mr Manus Krause of Midland Acres Farm said he was at a loss for words to describe the effects of the hailstorm.

“As you can see, we have hectares of the crop that is down and I do not know what to do. It is a great loss to us,” he said.