Cde Zhanda
Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda has warned extension workers to take their job seriously to ensure farmers register bumper harvests. Addressing farmers attending a field day at Mountain Home Farm in Mazowe last Friday, Deputy Minister Zhanda said it was disheartening that the country was now importing food when there were many extension officers supposed to be assisting farmers realise better yields.
He said workers should earn their salaries and bonuses through hard work. “Most of you complain when you do not get bonuses, but you do not want to deliver. Why should we import food when we have extension officers?
“You should always be on the farms to assist farmers with technical expertise. Extension officers should emphasise efficiency on production,” he said. Deputy Minister Zhanda said they used to be one Agritex officer per ward and maize yields were around 2,5 tonnes per hectare.
He said yields have dwindled per hectare when the number of extension workers has increased to five per ward. “Communal areas used to produce around 1,6 million tonnes of maize to cover national consumption but now things have changed.
“I am aware of some of the challenges being faced by the officers, but that should not be an excuse for not delivering,” he said. He said some farmers were complaining of production costs because their yields have gone down.
Deputy Minister Zhanda said Zimbabwe was one of the countries with competitive input and producer prices. “Farmers are failing to break even and they end up demanding high prices for their produce which is not proper. Government had to come up with a maize producer price of $390 per tonne to cushion farmers. There is nowhere you can find such a high price of maize.
“The situation could be different if our farmers realise high yields of around seven and eight tonnes per hectare,” he said. Deputy Minister Zhanda said some extension officers were facing mobility challenges.
“If you cannot move around the whole ward it is better that you serve the farmers who are nearer. There should be evidence that you are doing your job. The situation we have now is that extension officers are not on the ground to advise farmers.
“Government is also working on addressing some of the challenges, but the situation will be easier if extension workers also complement by working hard and ensuring farmers boost productivity per unit area,” he said.