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Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Farmers have started planting maize with others intensifying land preparation for the 2015 summer cropping season.

The farmers are, however, complaining of high inputs costs that they said would reduce agriculture viability.

Most of the farmers who are planting have irrigation facilities, while some communal farmers are taking advantage of the showers the country is receiving to intensify land preparation.

Those into conservation farming have prepared planting holes and are applying manure.

Domboshava farmer, Mrs Ednah Muchazivei of Shumba Village, said she started land preparation two weeks ago when the area received some rains.

“We are yet to start planting because we rely on rain-fed agriculture. We are intensifying land preparation so that we plant using the first rains,” she said.

“We are still procuring seed and fertilisers. We normally apply animal manure before ploughing to reduce the amount of basal fertilisers,” she said.

Mrs Pedzisai Musemwa from the same area, said she was aware of the rainfall forecast and had already bought medium season varieties.

“We are intensifying land preparation because the rains can start anytime. We also have our way of forecasting the rains using the type of clouds. We should not be caught unawares by the rains,” she said.

Goromonzi farmer and Mutoko South legislator, Cde David Chapfika, said he had started planting the irrigated maize crop.

“We are having challenges with power supply. We lost three transformers to thieves and we are still to get replacements. This will affect irrigation operations.

“The other challenge we are facing is that inputs are expensive. We heard that fertilisers are now cheap, but we have not seen them. The seed prices have increased and this defeats the whole purpose of reducing production costs.

“Farmers are failing to access loans from banks, while our inputs are not subsidised. This makes the agro sector uncompetitive regionally and globally,” he said.

Government has come up with a scheme to assist farmers during this season that will benefit 1,3 million households.

At least 1 million households in the cotton growing areas will benefit from the Presidential Input Scheme Support Scheme and will be assisted in marketing of the crop.

According to Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister, Dr Joseph Made, cotton is one of the crops that was important in dry weather conditions especially the 2015-16 season where the Meteorological Services Department predicted normal to below normal rains.

Under the cotton programme, each household will receive 5 kilogrammes of seed, chemicals and fertilisers equivalent for a quarter of a hectare.

Dr Made said Government would also secure markets for the crop relating to the Government inputs.