Farmers must spread their plantings across season

Farmers in areas that have received good rains are already ploughing and planting various crops, especially maize.

We are happy that work is now in full swing in those areas but regret that at this very early stage of the season, the rains have been falling in patches.

We have had torrents falling in the Bulawayo city centre, for example, while an area just three kilometres away being under a clear sky and dry.

Overall therefore, the rains aren’t evenly spread but we are optimistic that the coverage will improve as the season progresses.

The Meteorological Services Department expects the skies to hold back a bit this week after a few days of heavy rains and thunderstorms.

The heaviest falls were seen in Beitbridge 54 millimetres, Chinhoyi (42 mm), Hwange (45mm) and Kariba (25mm).

Matabeleland region as well as Midlands and Masvingo provinces should be dry, a development that, according to agriculture expects, must be an opportunity for farmers to get the shoulder to the wheel.

Federation of Farmers’ Unions chairman, Mr Wonder Chabikwa welcomed the recent rains saying that they had resulted in an increase in activity on the ground.

“We are now urging all farmers to take advantage of the recent rains to intensify planting and land preparations. We have had late rains and some farmers had delayed planting cotton as they were waiting for significant rains. Some farmers who grow tobacco had also suspended transplanting of the dryland crop but I am sure they have resumed planting. They should intensify planting before the window closes. The tobacco crop that was transplanted early September is doing well. The first leaves of the crop transplanted early are showing signs of ripening. Farmers will soon start reaping the early crop in two to three weeks time. The countryside is now greener and there is stock watering,” he said.

While we are happy that life-giving rains have fallen, we are unhappy that the falls have been accompanied by violent storms and lightning that killed six people in Chinhoyi and Umzingwane over the weekend.

Also in Karoi gushing rains and strong winds on Saturday left a trail of destruction and four families homeless.

At least 121 houses suffered some form of damage while a school and a local clinic had their roofs blown away.

For the areas that have been blessed with the rains, we, as Mr Chabikwa does, implore farmers to move with speed and do the right thing.

They must run after the moisture that is in the ground now and plant.

It is always important for farmers to take advantage of the first effective rains.

However, they are advised to be very watchful of the skies so that they don’t plant all the seed they have, covering all their farms.

They are encouraged to take heed of a forecast that was announced a few months ago that parts of the country are likely to receive normal to below normal rainfall during this summer season.

In other words, the 2018/19 summer season might not witness as much rainfall as witnessed two seasons ago.

In this case, it is always critical for the farmer to, yes take advantage of the first effective falls, but also to spread their plantings across the season.

By doing this, the farmer spreads his or her crops across, thus spread his or her risk.

If the rainy season turns out to be erratic as has been forecast, a farmer who plans and executes his plantings one after the other stands a better chance of realising a better harvest than one who plants his whole farm after a single gush of rains.

After the not-so-pleasing forecast was made, the Government and farming experts, in addition to urging farmers to space their plantings, have been advising them to spread their risk by planting drought-tolerant crops too.

This can be shorter season varieties of maize that take a shorter period to mature and do so with minimum rainfall.

They can plant their small grains too, while of course setting aside portions of their properties for maize and longer season maize varieties.

Another point that is as important is for our growers to take heed of the periodic weather reports and forecasts that are given by the Met Department.

Farmers should be happy to learn they can get more detailed, localised reports and forecasts from the department on request. Such information is extremely important as it enables a farmer to plan accordingly.