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Deputy Minister Marapira

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
Farmers here have hailed Government for the timely distribution of inputs that also coincided with the rains. Most districts in the province received rains last week at a time when Government had intensified input distribution.

Government this week announced that it had so far distributed over 85 percent of farming inputs under the Presidential Input Support Scheme and 50 percent under Command Agriculture this summer cropping season.

Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister, Davis Marapira said the ministry had received a substantial amount of foreign currency from Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) that has enabled it to import chemicals and fertilisers. Deputy Minister Marapira said Government had distributed seed earlier to allow farmers to beat the planting deadline, but shortage of foreign currency had delayed the procurement of fertiliser.

He said Government had so far distributed more than 75 percent of the inputs under the Presidential Input Support Scheme to target beneficiaries, while the ministry had so far distributed 50 percent of the inputs to farmers who joined Command Agriculture.

“However, we distributed seed to all our farmers both on Command Agriculture and those on Presidential Input Support Scheme earlier. The distribution was slowed by fertiliser shortages which were caused by foreign currency shortages. In the past three weeks, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has released a substantial amount of foreign currency that has enabled us to import fertiliser that was required by our farmers,” said Deputy Minister Marapira.

Deputy Minister Marapira said there was need to prioritise the agricultural sector which contributes 40 percent of the foreign currency, 70 percent of employment and 20 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Midlands Minister of State Cde Owen Ncube said the province started receiving more inputs under the Presidential Input Support Scheme and Command Agriculture two weeks ago.

“More inputs have started coming and two weeks ago we received a substantial amount. The inputs are being distributed through the country’s Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots throughout the province,” he said.

A farmer, Mr Edward Ncube told The Herald that the inputs distribution was timely as it coincided with the rains. Government has set aside $154 million for the Presidential Input Support Scheme to cater for 1,8 million communal households across the country.

Under the scheme, each household got 10kg of maize seed, 50kg of basal fertiliser (Compound D) and 50kg of top dressing (ammonium nitrate). Cotton and soyabeans were also included under the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme.