By Yvonne Mutambwa
Farmers in Chirumanzu district have been advised against selling and abusing Pfumvudza inputs which are set to be distributed soon under the Climate Proofed Cropping Presidential Input program.
Beneficiaries have been grouped into small holders, resettlement and peri urban clusters. 39 061 small holder farming households are set to benefit from the program in Chirumanzu district.
Each household will have three prepared plots, meaning that the target plots amount to 117 000. 71 000 plots have been prepared so far, with farmers from dry areas waiting for the first rains to fall so that digging can be easier.
Beneficiaries will receive inputs for cereals, legumes, oils and vegetables. Chiefs will receive inputs which are enough for 10 plots for the Zunde Ramambo purposes, headmen will get inputs for 7 plots, and village heads will receive inputs for 5 plots.
Farmers are being encouraged to follow farming advice from experts to achieve bigger yields, as the main goal is for the district to be food secure. The inputs package will consist of lime, top dressing, insecticides and herbicides. Small holder farmers will get 5kg maize seed, 5kg sorghum or 2 kg millet.
However, if small grain inputs come at a later date, beneficiaries will receive maize seed instead. Beneficiaries will also get 2kg sunflower seeds and sugar beans. Urban beneficiaries will receive 2kg maize seed, a vegetable combo which includes 1g tomato seeds, 1g onion seeds, 1g rape vegetable and 1g carrots. A 50 kg bag of fertilizer will be shared among 3 peri urban farmers due to limited farming space.
Chiefs will get 25kg maize seed or 15 kg of small grain. Headmen will get 20kg of maize seed or 10kg sorghum, and village heads will each receive 10kg maize seed or 5kg sorghum.
Farmers with plots which have been prepared according to the set pfumvudza standards will receive first preference during distribution.
The GMB depots at Mvuma and Charandura will be used for storage purposes. Transport shortages have however been cited as a challenge as people usually have to work into the night. This usually results in the looting of valuable input, hence the need to beef up security.
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