(HERALD) State begins drive to boost food security
State begins drive to boost food securityHerald Reporter
WORK to mobilise farmers countrywide to grow at least one hectare of maize began yesterday with five Cabinet ministers and provincial governors meeting in Harare to work out modalities for the programme meant to ensure food security.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Operation Maguta, Agribank and Agritex (formerly Arex) are included in the massive programme to mobilise smallholder, A1 and communal farmers to increase production and help meet National Strategic Cropping Targets for the 2007/2008 summer farming season.
Minister of Agriculture Cde Rugare Gumbo, Minister of Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation Cde Joseph Made, Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Cde Ignatius Chombo, Minister of State for Policy Implementation Cde Webster Shamu, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Cde Sithembiso Nyoni, provincial governors, RBZ Governor Dr Gideon Gono, Agribank chief executive Mr Sam Malaba and Operation Maguta head of operations Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba met to strategise the mobilisation of farmers.
The meeting was closed and Cde Gumbo briefed journalists after the consultations.
"The meeting focused on communal farming, mobilisation of food security on a household level. Each household is expected to produce 2,5 acres (one hectare) of maize this summer farming season.
"We believe that this would go a long way in the form of meeting national food security," Cde Gumbo said.
He said the massive communal food mobilisation programme would be co-ordinated by the five ministries who would work hand in hand with provincial governors.
Provincial governors, he said, would work with chiefs who, in turn, would also work with village heads in collaboration with Agritex.
Provincial governors should start consultations with chiefs to mobilise village heads to identify farmers for the programme in preparation for releasing inputs, said Cde Gumbo.
"The concept we are trying to develop is that everyone at all levels participate in food security so that we deal with challenges of food shortages," he said.
Cde Gumbo said the thrust of the programme was to encourage farmers to increase production of small grains such as sorghum and rapoko and other crops like soyabeans and groundnuts.
He said seed and fertilizers were adequate and urged farmers to work together for success.
"We feel very strong that if we engage our people to this level, we can eliminate food shortages."
The other ministries and provincial governors were satisfied with progress on preparations for the summer season.
"We discussed at length and we were all at consensus that the programme was in the right direction.
"Let me also point out that all governors expressed their readiness and what remains is to follow up on seed and fertilizers," Cde Gumbo said.
The minister said at least 57 000 tonnes of Compound D fertilizer has already been imported for national requirements while there was a deficit of between 10 000 to 15 000 tonnes of maize seed.
"We may have problems of fertilizers, but we assure the nation that everything is being done to mitigate the problem.
"Maize seed, we are right there, we are only short of about 10 000 to 15 000 tonnes. This should be met in the next few
weeks," he said.
He said Government was also looking at ways of revamping Agritex to make it more effective.
"We want to revamp Agritex to make it mobile so that it is found in every ward and we want this to be implemented soon," said Cde Gumbo.
Progress meetings with provincial governors will be held once every fortnight and particular ministries dealing with agriculture will be expected to have submitted statistics of their provinces starting on Friday next week.
In a related issue, Operation Maguta has distributed a total of 8 336,71 tonnes of maize seed out of the 26 000 tonnes farmers, under the programme, require countrywide.
In Mashonaland East, 2 134,88 tonnes have been delivered, Mashonaland West (1 823 tonnes), Mashonaland Central (2 026,4 tonnes), Manicaland (893,2 tonnes), Masvingo (623,99 tonnes), Midlands (657,24 tonnes), Matabeleland South (88 tonnes) and Matabeleland North (90 tonnes).
Brig Gen Nyikayaramba said more deliveries to all the provinces were expected soon.
He said 22 000 tonnes of Compound D fertilizer that was secured by Government under the operation had been accessed by farmers.
He urged farmers not only to rely on Government handouts but also to be innovative.
Operation Maguta targets communal, A1 and A2 farmers.
Labels: MAIZE, RUGARE GUMBO, THE HERALD, ZIMBABWE
posted by MrK @ 4:42 AM
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