With wheat planting for the 2024 winter season in full-swing, Government has assured farmers that the country's dams have enough water to irrigate 141 000 hectares of the cereal.
This comes on the backdrop of the Government's plans to plant 120 000 ha of wheat, 6 750ha to table potatoes and 3 250ha of either maize or sorghum to take the tally of land under winter crops to 130 000ha.
In a recent statement Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said: "As of May 6, 2024, the national dam level average stood at 77 percent, against an average of 71, 2 expected during this time of the year with national dams and other sources holding sufficient water to irrigate 141 000 ha on verified installed irrigation capacity at rates ranging from five to seven mega litres per hectare, depending on agro-ecological region, type of irrigation system and other factors.
"In view of this development and to ensure the effective and sustainable harnessing of the available water resources, all farmers and other entities wishing to irrigate during the season, are advised to sign water abstraction agreements with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa)," he said.
The Minister urged all farmers to approach their nearest Zinwa catchment and provincial offices for water allocation modalities and to work closely with Agritex in determining their crop water requirements for the season.
Zinwa shall be implementing seasonal billing for all A2 farmers on stop order facilities with funders or off-takers of their produce, added the Minister.
Meanwhile, Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) president, Mr Liam Philp has urged farmers to give it their all and plant wheat in spite of the fact that they are coming out of a difficult season characterised by a drought and low liquidity levels.
"The nation is relying on us collectively as Zimbabwean farmers from small-scale through to large-scale to produce wheat in line with the national food security plan," he said.
Mr Philp underscored the need for farmers to also look at water availability and pricing.
Additionally, Mr Philp challenged the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to wrap up the disbursement of outstanding payments from last season to restore farmers' confidence in the commercial value of the wheat crop.
Mr Philp said: "Farmers are unique people, they are strong willed, determined and courageous individuals who work tremendously long hours, week in and week out but they have been burdened by the high cost of doing business exacerbated by the impact of the drought.
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"We also call on Government to recognise the economic plight of farmers and play its part in fine-tuning the payment modalities for their crop. As wheat producers we are appealing to Government to constantly review policies in the agriculture industry to promote growth and investment in the sector. We can achieve great things through working together."
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) secretary general Mr Paul Zakariya said over the last three years, agricultural production has been on the increase due to deliberate efforts by Government to address challenges associated with procurement and delivery of agricultural inputs, provision of uninterrupted supply of energy and water as well as availing tillage and harvesting equipment.
"However, delayed payments have become a new and yet very huge challenge that is threatening to reverse the momentum that had been gained till now. Delayed payments have presented serious cash flow challenges on the farms," he said.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe also chipped in saying the 120 000-hectare target was achievable and can even be surpassed.
He urged Government to ensure farmers are paid on time every season to motivate production.
"Payments that farmer received recently will enable farmers to finance the current wheat planting activities. It is also worth noting that there is still a window period for people to complete planting," he said.
