1 800 hectares under wheat

Locadia Mavhudzi, Midlands Correspondent
MORE than 1 800 hectares of land has been put under the Government funded Command Winter Wheat programme in the Midlands Province, an official has said.

In an interview yesterday, Midlands Provincial Crop and Livestock Officer, Mrs Madeline Magwenzi, said the distribution of Command Wheat inputs was ongoing as farmers are at various levels of planting and tilling.

“We have so far put 1 838 hectares of land under the Command Winter Wheat programme and the contracting of farmers is still ongoing,” she said.

Mrs Magwenzi said 1 039 hectares have been planted by 48 farmers mainly in wetter regions around Gweru, Shurugwi and Kwekwe who practice irrigation farming.

She said the supply and distribution of inputs has been timely adding they have so far received 141 000 litres of fuel against an allocation of 300 000 litres.

“The province is set to receive inputs as follows, 120 tonnes of wheat seed, 731 tonnes compound D, 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 485 tonnes of lime. On herbicides we have so far received glyphosate and dicamba. We have also received 141 000 litres of fuel and we are expecting more,” she said.

Mrs Magwenzi said she was optimistic the farmers’ yields would be much better considering the timely distribution of inputs by the Government combined with a favourable climate for wheat.