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Elton Manguwo

WITH Government targeting 3, 5 million households for this year’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, concerted efforts are already being made to rid the input distribution process of possible corrupt tendencies that may compromise the programme’s effectiveness.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural development has duly joined forces with key stakeholders such as Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services (ARDAS), Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and the Agricultural

Marketing Authority (AMA) to ensure the process is closely monitored and supervised from the beginning to the end.

The GMB, which was awarded the contract to distribute inputs for the 2022/23 summer cropping season is set to commence distributing them in the next few weeks while the Ministry of Agriculture has since remodelled the distribution chain to promote traceability and accountability.

“What we will do from this season going onwards is to change the role of GMB depot managers to that of supply chain managers so that they can account for the inputs delivered to their catchment areas and for the way they were used so that audits can be carried out effectively,” Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said during a business meeting at the just-ended Zimbabwe Agricultural Show.

In addition, AMA is developing a national data base for all farmers nationwide this season so that the Ministry can be able to trace on progress and numbers in real time.

“The drive to register farmers is progressing very well to date with 1, 2 million farmers have been so far registered in our robust database that captures farm size and its agro-ecological zone, which is important for orderly, effective and transparent input distribution,” AMA chief executive officer, Mr Clever Isaya commented yesterday.

Furthermore, the Ministry is integrating councils and local village leadership into the distribution process. The council is tasked with chairing the distribution committee while the local school heads will be the secretary reporting to ARDAS.

Additionally, the Ministry will be roping in representatives for women and the youth so that their interests in relation to input distribution are safeguarded.

On the deliberate inclusion of women, Dr Masuka added that there would be a woman ward coordinator from the Ministry of Women Affairs Gender and Community Affairs whilst a youth coordinator will also be in the distribution committee alongside state security agents to ensure that there is transparency.

The move is meant to ensure that the inputs benefit the vulnerable members of the community, as well as equip them with knowledge for maximum production. The Ministry is introducing the Zunde raMambo concept at village level with the village head’s field being a site for a farmer field school with capacitation from ARDAS.

Sixty-one percent of the country’s population resides in the rural areas and survives on farming.