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Agriculture Reporter
At least $118 million is being mobilised to transport inputs under the Climate-Proofed Presidential Inputs Programme, commonly known as Pfumvudza, from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots.

Government is meeting transport costs and distribution of inputs is expected to pick up in the next few days, as the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is working tirelessly to ensure farmers receive inputs on time.

Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Douglas Karoro said last week that Government was going to meet the costs of transporting inputs under Pfumvudza.

“Inputs under Pfumvudza must be transported at Government’s cost to the beneficiaries,” he said.

“In the past one or two weeks, we had some challenges with the disbursement of funds from Treasury, but now the Ministry of Finance is working round the clock to make sure the money requested by GMB for that purpose is expeditiously released,” he said.

“GMB requested for $118 million to transport the inputs from its depots to the wards where farmers are. I am pleading with farmers to bear with us for the next few days as Government is working on ensuring they get inputs in time.”

Some reports show that other local leaders in some areas had begun mobilising funds to transport the inputs.

Zimbabwe National Farmers Union (ZNFU) vice president Mr Edward Dune said there was nothing wrong with farmers mobilising resources if they could afford, rather than wait for Government.

Pfumvudza, which is the flagship of the Agriculture Recovery Plan, has early input packages comprising seed, fertiliser, and fall armyworm pesticide for next season.

The programme is designed to make small-holder farming commercially viable.

It is primarily aimed at increasing food output per unit area for household security through the adoption of conservation agriculture and adoption of good agronomic practices such as mulching, population density management, crop rotations, fertilisation regime management, and pest and weed management.

All extension workers are expected to establish demonstration plots which will be used as centres of excellence where farmers will be trained on the principles and tenets of conservation agriculture.

The programme received a major boost in terms of extension services through enhanced mobility for the agricultural extension officers, with the support of 5 000 motor cycles from President Mnangagwa.

Over three million farmers have so far been trained on the Pfumvudza farming concept, with the majority of them being women.

President Mnangagwa recently said the Pfumvudza farming concept will benefit everyone and said no one should be left behind.

The Programme is targeting 1,8 million households, with a target of 1,8 million tonnes of cereal and 360 000 tonnes of oil seed.