MARTIN MAWAYA
HARARE-More than 44 000 hectares of land has been put under Government Sorghum Input Programme in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed.
Planting of sorghum under the program is expected to be completed this Wednesday.
Government targeted about 100 000 hectares to be put under the sorghum program as the country moves to mitigate against the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Of the 100 000ha, 20 000ha will be grown under irrigation schemes, while 80 000ha are put under production by individual farmers contracted through the Arda joint venture model.
Traditional grains are short seasoned and drought tolerance hence the Government is encouraging farmers especially those in arid regions to go for the crop.
Since the start of the programme, the government has already roped in farmers who have at least five hectares to plant the traditional grains.
Lands and Agriculture, Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri told The Midweek Watch that the adoption and accelerated sorghum production programme is a top priority, and a drought-mitigation strategy that will ensure the country’s food security.
He said the initiative is a joint venture setup, where farmers are contracted by Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) adding that response from the farmers is “overwhelming”.
“We have encouraged our farmers to plant short season varieties of which most of the farmers have taken hid. So far we have 44 000 hectares that have been put under sorghum and that process continues because after the on boarding, these farmers have to collect their inputs and plant.
“We are looking at a two-day window for those sorghum famers to finish planting and also continue applying fertilizers. And if we do that, we should be able to get enough of our food produced than what was anticipated when the El Niño was first predicted,” Prof Jiri.
Prof Jiri added that the cropping season shows good signs.
“Crops are looking quite good and if the rains continue with this sun breaks, we could see good growth rates and good yields at the end of this sharp and short season,” he said.
