By Tichaona Chifamba
Harare - The rains that have started falling across Zimbabwe have triggered a frenzy among smallholder farmers who have descended on their fields to make final land preparations, while the government is hoping that it will provide all the necessary inputs by the time the agriculture season gets into full swing.
The government is promoting climate-proofed conservation agriculture, commonly referred to in the local Shona language as Pfumvudza, which entails digging holes to plant seed, mulching to retain moisture, and crop rotation to improve soil health as well as control weeds and pests.
Pfumvudza is done on small pieces of land to ensure that smallholder farmers who are the most vulnerable to climate change, optimize their land use and thus attain food security and self-sufficiency.
This year, the government is targeting three million households, with each expected to produce at least one ton, thus bringing the total to three million tons against a national requirement of 2.2 million tons.
Weather experts have predicted a good rainy season, but some farmers remain wary after the same prediction in the 2021/22 season left them counting their losses after a prolonged mid-season dry spell.
The government has so far released about 20 billion Zimbabwe dollars (ZWL) - about $31.5 million - for the programme but is lagging behind in terms of the input distribution.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement John Basera, confirmed to Xinhua in an interview that the government was a bit behind in the distribution of inputs but was hoping to have covered the ground as the season progressed.
"We believe we're a little bit behind compared to last year because of obvious issues with the two C's - Covid-19, disrupting global supply chains, and the conflict, the geopolitical events in Eastern Europe. Russia and Ukraine, combined, contribute 30% to the global fertiliser supply. So we're affected," he said.
Basera said the government was ahead of the situation with regard to sourcing raw materials and fertiliser products that were not manufactured locally.
However, these were stuck in bonded warehouses while foreign currency was being mobilised so that they could be released to the government for onward distribution to beneficiaries.
"But otherwise, so far, in terms of basal dressing distribution, we're now looking at about 60,000 metric tons. In terms of seed distribution, we're looking at about 10,000 metric tons against our target of about 16,000 metric tons. So we're over 65 percent, and by mid-November, we should have completed input distribution, especially basal fertilizers and seed distribution," he said.
Simon Zindonda, a smallholder farmer in Marondera West, about 70km south of the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, said they had only received inputs for a traditional welfare scheme that caters to the poor, with each household required to contribute small amounts of money for tillage and transportation.
"We're still digging the holes. It's a back-breaking job, but we hope to benefit from the government input distribution program to sustain our families," he said.
Basera said only those who had dug holes and collected mulch for their fields would be given inputs and monitored by the extension officers. The programme also comes in handy for many smallholder farmers who cannot afford the high input costs charged by manufacturers and distributors.
Recently, the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) urged the government to intervene and ensure that input prices remained affordable.
ZCFU President Shadreck Makombe told state news agency New Ziana in early November that most farmers hesitated to prepare all their farming land because the prices of inputs were beyond their reach.
He said although agricultural inputs were readily available in the country, it was meaningless to the majority of the farmers, as they could not afford to buy them.
"Seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs are readily available, but the inhibiting factor is the price. That is why we are appealing to the authorities to advise the suppliers that it is inexpedient to hike prices whenever the farming season is upon us," he said.
His sentiments resonated with other farmers, in earlier interviews with Xinhua, who said farming would remain difficult unless input prices came down.