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George Maponga in Masvingo

The Masvingo provincial leadership has formally applied, to Lowveld sugar-maker Tongaat Huletts Zimbabwe, for irrigable fallow land for this year’s winter maize initiative in Chiredzi.

The move follows widespread crop failure across Masvingo province after erratic rains which characterised the 2021/22 summer cropping season.

Most districts in Masvingo are facing food deficits after the decimation of the staple maize crop by drought in the last summer farming season.

Tongaat and Masvingo Development Trust have traditionally partnered Government, every year, to grow irrigated winter maize on fallow cane fields at Hippo Valley and Triangle estates to reduce the country’s food import bill.

Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira says Government has already engaged Tongaat over this year’s winter maize project.

The minister said that faced with the prospect of crippling food shortages in the wake of drought in the just-ended agricultural season, winter maize production would reduce the impact of drought.

“We have already written to Tongaat asking the company for irrigable land where we can continue with our winter maize production initiative under a partnership since we are certainly going to face severe food shortages this year because of drought,” said Minister Chadzamira.

“Tongaat has not yet responded to our request but we are very optimistic that they will give us a favourable answer because we have a good working relationship and they have always reacted positively to the call to support Government programmes.”

Minister Chadzamira lauded Tongaat for its readiness to work with the Government saying the winter maize project has grown to become a key national project that dovetails with Vision 2030.

Last year, winter maize in the Lowveld was replaced by wheat after authorities noted that the country had a maize surplus after a successful prior year’s agricultural season hence the shift to wheat.

The year before, a record 3 000 hectares had been put under winter maize at Hippo Valley and Triangle which yielded a bumper crop of over 20 000 tonnes of grain.

Winter maize production is slowly getting traction in the fight to engender food security in Zimbabwe with increased support from the Second Republic which wants to stem food imports to save hard currency.