WINTER wheat farmers in the Midlands Province have started delivering their produce to the Grain Marketing Board with over 19 000 tonnes having been harvested so far while about 2 000ha is yet to be harvested.

Total production of about 35 695 tonnes is expected this year compared to 19 530 tonnes in the same period in 2020.

Last year’s produce was harvested from 2 790ha that had been put under the crop. This season, a total of 5 448ha were put under winter wheat and only 3 053ha has been harvested.

Farmers also lost a third of their potential harvest to quelea birds, which wreaked havoc in the province especially in Sherwood block, Kwekwe two months ago. In an interview yesterday, Midlands Agritex Provincial Crop and Livestock Officer Mrs Medlinah Magwenzi said farmers were smiling all the way to GMB after an improved winter wheat crop.

“Winter wheat farmers in the Midlands Province are smiling all the way to GMB regardless of having lost a third of winter wheat produce to quelea birds,” she said.

“These birds wreaked havoc on the crop and are still a menace.”

Mrs Magwenzi said the Government was still working with farmers to protect the crop that has not been harvested to maximise on yields.

“We are still working on protecting the yields since the control is on and we are grateful for the Government’s timely intervention to protect the yields,” she said.

“The quelea birds challenge reduced our yields. Nevertheless, the province has harvested 3 053 ha with 19 479 tonnes and still has 2 395ha to be harvested. “Assuming that due to quelea birds we average production at six tonnes per ha, total production would be 35 695 tonnes in 2021 versus 19 530 tonnes from 2 790ha in 2020.”

Mrs Magwenzi said the province was on track to surpass the 2020 season production by 90 percent and attributed this to the introduction of the Presidential Inputs Programme and timely distribution of inputs.

“The great achievement is due to availability of inputs from the Winter Wheat Presidential Input Scheme, the National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (Neaps) and availability of water and power this 2021 winter wheat season,” she said.

Under Neaps, she said 3 600ha of land was the target from 40 farmers under wheat who then managed to do 3 514ha. A total of 42 private players, Mrs Magwenzi said, had a target of 1 000ha but ended up doing 1 120ha of land under winter wheat.

She said under the Presidential Wheat Programme, the number of farmers were in irrigation schemes and gardens.

“Under the Presidential wheat programme, the targeted area was 900ha from 2670 farmers. These are the farmers who did the crop from small gardens to irrigation schemes and managed to do 815ha,” she said.

“An average of 6,5 tonnes per ha is the average yield for this season. The reduction in yield was attributed to the menace caused by quelea birds especially in Kwekwe district.”