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Lawrence Chitumba Mashonaland Central Bureau
The Pfumvudza agricultural programme, which was introduced by Government to eradicate hunger at household level, is now bearing fruit, with farmers harvesting more than the expected 52 buckets per plot.

Farmers at Simoona Farm in Bindura could not hide their joy and expressed gratitude to the Government for introducing the programme whose outcome has increased harvests.

They are optimistic that the climate change induced droughts, which had brought yields down, will not affect them in future as crops grown on Pfumvudza plots would have managed water supplies.

Agritex supervisor for Bindura District Mr Fortune Bafana said in an interview during a field day at Simoona Farm recently that some farmers who were doubtful of the programme were now realising its benefits.

“For some, the Pfumvudza programme was a difficult one, especially the hole making stage, but we are now harvesting more than what was expected,” said Mr Bafana.

“Farming is a business and businesses need to plan for the timing of operations such as land preparations and selection of suitable inputs like seeds and herbicides.”

Mr Bafana said Pfumvudza was the way to go, and discouraged farmers from buying inputs on the streets as this had always led to poor harvests.

Mr Robert Chivhuna, a farmer, said Pfumvudza taught them that farming was all about yield per hectare, without necessarily going for large pieces of land.

He said Government should be prepared for an overwhelming subscription to Pfumvudza next season, as farmers had realised the efficacy of the programme.