Farmers owe Zesa $180m in unpaid bills

Farmers owe Zesa $180m in unpaid bills June 30, 2017 Business Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda Africa Moyo and Leonard Ncube in Vic FallsCOMMERCIAL farmers have accumulated up to $180 million in unpaid electricity bills since the 2013 debt reprieve, thereby inducing a strain on the power utility’s operations. Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution (ZETDC) managing director, …

Row erupts over farmers’ 99-year leases

Row erupts over farmers’ 99-year leases June 30, 2017 Headlines, Top Stories Minister Mombeshora Africa Moyo in Victoria FallsA ROW has erupted between local financial institutions and Government over the bankability of 99-year leases, which had been primed as the solution for farmers to unlock credit from banks. This comes as the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) …

Only 37 000 ha of wheat out of 60k target planted, Parliament told

Only 37 000 ha of wheat out of 60k target planted, Parliament told By Own Correspondent   Zimbabwe, a former regional breadbasket that has become a serial grain importer since the government’s seizure of white-owned farms in 2000.   MINISTRY of agriculture says that 37 000 hectares of wheat has been planted against a target …

Egg production tumbles

Egg production tumbles – NewsDay Zimbabwe       The egg-producing industry tumbled by 23% to 3,6 million eggs in the first quarter of 2017 largely due to disinvestment by small-scale producers, an industry official has said. BY MTHANDAZO NYONI Zimbabwe Poultry Association chairperson Solomon Zawe said egg production suffered tremendously in the first quarter …

Tianze: Helping hand for tobacco growers

Tianze: Helping hand for tobacco growers June 29, 2017 Features, Opinion & Analysis Tobacco farmers at Tianze Floors in Harare Sydney Kawadza Senior Features WriterThe Chinese must be a happy lot. Guided by one of their proverbs, it can be concluded that with their assistance cutting across the whole world they are indeed a happy nation. …

Drip irrigation for high productivity

Drip irrigation for high productivity June 29, 2017 Features, Opinion & Analysis, Top Stories Tobacco seedlings in beds Buhle Nkomo“I am impressed with drip irrigation technology because it means growing more for less. It is economic, it saves water and fertiliser, involving less labour while attracting good yields,” says Shepard Goremusandu (49), a small scale tobacco farmer …

Zimparks distributes 700k fingerlings under national Command Fisheries

Zimparks distributes 700k fingerlings under national Command Fisheries June 29, 2017 Local News ZPWMA director conservation Mr Arthur Mutsakwa (left) hands over fingerlings to Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Senator Jason Machaya before they were stocked in Insukamini Dam in Lower Gweru on Tuesday Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has …

Mastering the benefits of adding value to agricultural commodities

Mastering the benefits of adding value to agricultural commodities – NewsDay Zimbabwe     Like many well-intentioned phrases, “value-addition” is not just an expression. CHARLES DHEWA It is a practice whose dynamics are yet to be fully understood and embedded, especially in African agriculture. More than 80% of agricultural commodities in developing countries are consumed …

Govt targets timeous inputs distribution

Govt targets timeous inputs distribution – NewsDay Zimbabwe     GOVERNMENT is targeting to provide farmers with inputs by the end of September to avoid a last-minute rush to acquire seed and fertiliser in the next cropping season, an official has said. BY TARISAI MANDIZHA The 2016/17 agricultural season saw farmers receiving inputs late or …