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Zimbabwe: Seed Firm Readies for Farming Season
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 Published by the government of Zimbabwe |
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The Herald (Harare)
9 May 2008
Posted to the web 9 May 2008
Harare
Pioneer Seed Company says it is holding more than 700 tonnes of maize seed which will be released on the market once Government has approved the price, an official has said.
In an interview yesterday, an agronomist with the company, Mr Jaison Muradzikwa, said farmers needed to receive the seeds early so that they would have enough time to look for other farming inputs.
"We would want farmers to get the seeds early and avoid hassles of running around during the rainy season. So far we have more than 700 tonnes of seed, which is ready and stocked in the warehouses," he said.
Mr Muradzikwa said they were stocking on a daily basis and would have enough for the whole country by the time the summer farming season arrives.
He said they were also supporting Operation Maguta with seeds and urged farmers who cannot access seeds through the operation to check with their normal outlets. Since the beginning of the land reform programme, Mr Muradzikwa said, the seed company has been assisting newly- resettled farmers through their agronomists based in each province.
"We assist them for free in conjunction with Arex officials," he said.
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He said they were training some new farmers on how to grow seed maize and so far they had worked with more than 200 farmers. "We are now relying on these farmers for producing seed maize. We provide inputs, herbicides, fertilizers and the parent seed," said Mr Muradzikwa. He said they also have field inspectors who will be available from the day of planting until the crop is harvested to maintain quality.
Mr Muradzikwa urged farmers to buy seeds suitable for their areas or regions.
"In high rainfall areas, farmers are encouraged to grow medium and long-season hybrids because they have high yields while those in dry areas are recommended for short-season hybrids since they mature early," he said.
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