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Command Agric: Stitch in time saves nine

By our layman’s estimate, Zimbabwe seems to have received far above average rainfall this cropping season, and it is still raining. This should be great news for a nation still smarting from a crippling drought last year, which ravaged the whole sadc region. Somehow the rains seem to have complemented and rewarded whoever conceived the idea of Command Agriculture, and got Government to mobilise massive resources for farmers.Indications are therefore that Zimbabwe could be headed for a maize bumper harvest this year. And that will likely bring with it fresh challenges for Government and our farmers. The first one will obviously be that of storage for the harvest.

The Government originally set a target to produce about 2 million tonnes of maize from 400 000 hectares. It supplied seed, fertiliser and other chemicals. Individual families in both urban and rural areas complemented these efforts by purchasing their own seed and fertilisers. All this is likely to create a glut of the commodity.

We want to commend Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa for thinking and planning ahead in this regard. There is an adage that forewarned is forearmed. He told Parliament last week there was need to look at the state of our silos and their capacity.

This is very important to avoid having the good harvest going to waste because the nation doesn’t have sufficient storage facilities. But even before that, the minister warned there would be need for more combine harvesters to get the crop off the field. There will also be need for dryers given the high moisture content of the crop.

After the harvest, the maize will need to be moved to Grain Marketing Board depots for storage. That calls for transport logistics, which come at a cost. Individuals will also need to be assisted to protect their harvest. There will be need for chemicals to preserve the harvested crop.

As if that were not enough, Government will need to mobilise financial resources to pay the farmers for the maize supplied. Over the years there has been a haphazard approach to the harvest season. Farmers who produced maize in excess of their requirements have supplied it to the GMB only to go for months without being paid. This has tended to frustrate farmers in their planning for the next season.

The irony has been that Government always finds money to import maize to meet the local deficit, but has no resources to timeously pay local producers, exposing them to exploitation by private buyers. The result has been a noticeable shift by many farmers towards cash crops such as tobacco where prices are higher and they are paid on time.

While the nation has benefited from the foreign currency earnings, it has been left vulnerable to food deficit each time the rains have been normal to below normal. That is why we must make the best out of what promises to be a good season. Food security should be at the very top of Government’s priorities. This is one of the fastest ways towards economic recovery.

It is therefore good that Minister Chinamasa has alerted Government early enough of the new challenges that come with a successful Command Agriculture. While there was little which could be done to deal with unexpectedly heavy rains, at least Government has ample time to anticipate a bumper harvest.

What is required now is for all responsible ministries and departments to work together, the same way they have done in mobilising resources for Command Agriculture. Weather patterns are shifting rapidly and there is no guarantee that next season will be the same as the current one. We would be better served if we took care of what we have to meet the needs of a leaner season.