Andrew Muvishi
Mash East Correspondent
Over 5 000 tonnes of top dressing fertilizer were distributed to farmers in Mashonaland East under the Command Agriculture inputs scheme.

Fertilizer has been in high demand this year, with good rains pushing Zimbabwe towards a record bumper harvest.

Marondera district Agritex officer Mrs Primrose Manga said they had received over 5 000 tonnes of top dressing fertilizer for the maize crop.

“This time around, we are issuing fertilizer to farmers who are in need of it. Ward Agritex officers make routine crop assessments and wrote a recommendation warning of bogus farmers who collect inputs and end up selling them on the black market,” she said.

A2 farmer Mr Bright Bvukumbwe, who was contracted to put 100ha of maize under Command Agriculture, said he was happy with the distribution of top dressing fertilizer.

“We are happy that this year we have good rains and the timing of distribution of top dressing fertiliser is good. We are collecting fertilizers in time which leads to a bumper harvest.

“The criteria which was used at this depot (Marondera) is quite conducive as they require a letter from Agritex officers, which states that you are entitled to collect top dressing fertilizer. This method will reduce bogus farmers who collect inputs and end up selling them on the black market.”

Smallholder farmer Mrs Portia Chenzira hailed the distribution of top dressing fertilizer and said: “This year, we are happy that we received our inputs in time, especially top dressing fertilizer which is critical in achieving good yields.

“This year, we are expecting to produce more tonnes of maize as compared to the previous year.”

According to Agritex, Mashonaland East planted over 200 000 hectares of maize with 42 000ha under the Pfumvudza programme introduced by Government to boost household food security.