Govt sets aside $136 000 for quelea control

Government has set aside $136 000 for the control of quelea birds, as farmers step up efforts to start winter wheat farming, Agriculture minister Joseph Made has said.

by VENERANDA LANGA

Made appeared before the Christopher Chitindi-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture yesterday to speak on winter crop preparedness and smooth operations at tobacco auction floors.

“Preparedness of farmers, in terms of fertiliser and seed for winter farming, is very satisfactory in terms of availability,” he said.

“One of the major issues is control of quelea birds because whenever we have drought, the build-up of quelea birds is very high.”

The Agriculture minister said the Lowveld was likely to be affected by locusts and an armyworm outbreak.

“On winter wheat, the government expects a 25 000-hectare yield, which is expected to produce 100 000 metric tonnes, and compared to the last season, government produced 40 000 metric tonnes, which are the current stocks at the Grain Marketing Board (GMB),” Made said.

“We anticipate doubling the crop to reach 100 000 metric tonnes and the programme requires $40 million.”

Made said records showed sufficient fertiliser stocks and a slight shortage of wheat seed, depending on the varieties.

“At the rate of 125 kilogrammes per hectare, the total requirement of wheat seed is 3 125 metric tonnes, but the total available is 2 630 metric tonnes, which is fair. The total requirement for basil fertiliser compound D at 450 kilogrammes per hectare for a total of 25 000 hectares is 11 250 metric tonnes.

This application is generally for the very poor soils,” he said.

“Total availability of compound D in the country is 66 000 metric tonnes. The available top dressing fertiliser is 47 000 metric tonnes, and there is excess lime required.”

Made said he would continue to give import licences for the importation of fertiliser as long as local companies had no capacity to produce due to shortages of some chemicals like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

He said over 2 000 hectares of wheat had so far been planted, specifically by Arda, adding availability of electricity to farmers had improved.

On grain, he said 16 000 metric tonnes had been delivered to GMB, with $3,5 million released to pay farmers immediately for grain deliveries.