There is a low uptake of fertiliser due to financing capacities, the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC) has said.

Source: Financing capacities put fertiliser uptake on the ropes – NewsDay Zimbabwe September 15, 2016

BY VICTORIA MTOMBA

ZFC managing director Richard Dafana told delegates attending the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries meeting in Harare yesterday that the distribution of fertiliser in the country would be a challenge due to planning constraints.

“There is a lot of desire to buy fertiliser, but the uptake and financial capacity is not there,” he said.

Dafana said that the restriction on imports was set to help the industry grow, as there was need to protect local industry.

The country requires over 200 000 tonnes of fertiliser for each agriculture season.

The low fertiliser uptake comes as the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has said the country would receive more rainfall this year than 2015.

MSD executive director Amos Makarau said there was need to provide farmers with inputs early, particularly those in Masvingo region, because they would have early rains than the rest of the country.

“Inputs should be made available by September and give priorities to those areas that receive early rains as it is no use to give them inputs in December,” he said.

Makarau said farmers, who have been affected by drought, should also be given priority, as some of them had lost their livestock, so they would need farm implements for them to produce effectively.

CZI chief economist Daphne Mazambani said the contributions of agribusiness sector to the gross domestic product has been declining to 19,1% last year from a peak of 34% in 1996.