Rutendo Mawere
24 April 2005
RESULTS of a nationwide survey to determine the crop situation in the country will be completed at the end of the month, the Department of Agriculture Research and Extension Services (Arex) has said. The maize crop appears the worst affected.
Arex director Dr Shadreck Mlambo told The Standard that although a preliminary survey had been conducted, the full picture would only be known at the end of April. Three weeks ago Arex undertook a preliminary assessment of the crop situation in all provinces in the country.
Arex sent assessors to all the provinces last month to assess the crop situation, following a long spell of erratic rainfall.
The country experienced erratic rainfall this season and the result has been that most crops are already a write-off. This has dampened prospects for a good harvest.
The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers' Unions (ZCFU) said although the country received some rains during the last few weeks, a marginal recovery of crops would be realised as damage had already been done to the crops.
ZCFU president, Davison Mugabe, said the rains would only benefit the late-planted crops, which are still at the grain filling stage.
"There is marginal recovery as most crops will not recover because they were extensively damaged and the rains have come a bit too late. Only very late crops will recover," he said.
Mugabe believes the rains will also benefit preparations for winter cropping and tobacco preparations.
Mugabe was unable to say how much maize would be harvested this season, but said tobacco and Soya beans would command better harvests than the maize crop.
"Tobacco harvest will be fine as the crop was not affected by the dry spell and those who planted early Soya beans will get a decent harvest. Maize is the worst affected," Mugabe said.
The worst affected areas include most parts of Matabeleland and Manicaland, Marondera, Hwange and Masvingo, where crops have already wilted, threatening the country with hunger.
According to a rainfall bulletin by the Meteorological Services Department, most of the southern and eastern districts had received below 80 percent of normal rainfall last month.
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