Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
GOVERNMENT is evaluating the farmers’ preparedness to ensure a successful 2020/21 summer cropping season.

The country seeks to maximise on the normal to above normal rainfall projections this season and hopes to achieve a bumper harvest.

A team led by Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister, Vangelis Haritatos, is visiting farms to assess the farmers preparedness ahead of the onset of the rains.

The team is also checking on the readiness of Intwasa/ Pfumvudza farmers.

“I am visiting farms in Goromonzi and then will move into other districts in Mashonaland East with the same message.

“I am also doing spot checks of Intwasa/Pfumvudza plots. I will be touring all provinces to check on the farmers preparedness to plant,” Deputy Minister Haritatos said in an interview.

He said the rains received in the last few days are still insufficient to start planting and therefore farmers that rely on rain-fed cropping should not plant now.

The Meteorological Services Department has predicted isolated showers across the country until tomorrow. This will then be followed by a slight break over the weekend with another downpour expected in the coming week.

Dep Minister Haritatos said farmers must focus on land preparations until such a time there is adequate moisture to start planting.

He said beneficiaries of the Climate Smart Presidential Input Scheme under Intwasa/Pfumvudza, which is based on conservation agriculture, should have dug their holes and completed mulching by now.

“Farmers must wait for rainfall in excess of 30 millimeters over a period of at least three days, which in agriculture we call effective rainfall,” he said.

Deputy Minister Haritatos urged farmers to seek advice on when to plant from their Agritex officers.

He said based on adequate implementation of Government initiatives meant to boost production, the country is expecting to harvest 1,8 million tonnes of cereals and 360 000 tonnes of oil seeds just from Climate Smart Presidential Input Scheme alone.

He said the Command Agriculture model was also expected to yield good results which should see the country regain its status of being the region’s breadbasket.