2016-17 season maize yield above consumption levels

Dr Sekeramayi

Runyararo Muzavazi Herald Reporter—
Maize output for this farming season will surpass the country’s consumption requirements owing to Command Agriculture and the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme, Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi (pictured right) said yesterday. Speaking during a field day held at Defence College in Mazowe and organised by Agri-Seeds, Minister Sekeramayi said the success was attributed to new Government agricultural policies that were paying dividends.

“Favourable rains and the Government’s Command Agriculture programme, which provided support to farmers, helped push output beyond Zimbabwe’s annual requirement of 2,2 million tonnes of grain,” he said.

“Maize yields this season are surpassing the country’s levels of consumption for both human and animals, hence a surplus will be realised.”

Minister Sekeramayi hailed Agri-Seeds for breeding seed varieties that were highly adaptable to the changing climate.

“Advancement in technology has brought about maize hybrids that are highly adaptable to the adverse climate,” he said. “Agri-Seeds hybrid maize varieties are highly tolerant to moisture stress in the event of a bad rainfall season.”

Dr Sekeramayi urged farmers to embrace small grains as they were a solution to food shortages.

“Small grains remain a panacea to food security in Zimbabwe, particularly in the drier areas of our agronomic regions,” he said. “Sorghum, soyabeans and cow peas are small grains highly drought tolerant, making them suitable in dry areas because they complement the economic blueprint, Zim-Asset’s cluster of food security and nutrition.”

Dr Sekeramayi said educating soldiers on farming was a continuation of what they used to do during the liberation struggle.
“We used to practise agricultural activities during the liberation struggle, soldiers are also part of the population who also need food to survive,” he said.

Agri-Seeds managing director Mr Simon Nyanhete said farmers should strive to make the Command Agriculture programme a suc- cess.

“Let’s make Zim-Asset and Command Agriculture programme successful through good weed management, seed selection and excellent land preparation, hence unlocking value with the available resources,” said Mr Nyanhete.

Zimbabwe expects total grain production for the 2016-17 season to be over 2,5 million metric tonnes, more than enough to meet the country’s annual demand.

Production was boosted by 54 percent increase in hectares planted for maize from 1,1 million hectares in the 2015-16 season.