Enough seed for 2023/24 season
IN its report on the country’s state of preparedness for the 2023/24 cropping season, Government recently indicated that there is enough seed for traditional grains and legumes with focus now concentrated on increasing productivity en route to ensuring that production grows by 10 percent for major crops.
The Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Water and Rural Development Ministry subsequently revealed that the increase in seed production towards attaining self-sufficiency had been a result of policy decisions to expand the production of traditional grains, as a way of climate proofing Zimbabwe’s agriculture.
The promotion of the traditional grains and different pulses is being done to promote diversification of diets for nutritional security, observed the Ministry.
Government is targeting cereal production of 3 775 72 tonnes with maize accounting for 3 060 000 tonnes and 715 728 tonnes of traditional grains, which is enough for human cereal consumption requirements, as well as industrial use and livestock feeds.
From the report, it was also highlighted that something in the region of 45 000 tonnes of seed was required to cover 1, 8 million hectares of maize that are targeted for the next season while 4 180 tonnes of seed was needed to cover 418 000 hectares of sorghum with 1 600 tonnes of seed sufficing for 275 000 hectares of pearl millet and 138 tonnes for 27 500 hectares of finger millet.
Essentially, this will guarantee national food and nutrition security, as well as adequate household nourishment with some left overs for sale.
This announcement by the Government comes at a time when farmers will naturally be very busy trying to build stocks of all the inputs they need for a new season, chief among them, seed.
This is usually the time when anxiety marks the order of the day for most farmers, as they painstakingly mobilise the inputs against a depleted resource base.
For More Details Visit: https://www.herald.co.zw/enough-seed-for-202324-season/
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