Maize Crop A Total Write-off - Farmers
The bulk of the 2023/2024 maize crop is a complete write-off following below-average rainfall for much of the rainy season, agriculture sector officials have revealed.
Prince Kuipa, field operations director at the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) told the Zimbabwe Independent that the bulk of the crop across the country is moisture-stressed. Said Kuipa:
Information coming from our farmers shows that most of the grain has been affected and farmers are considering the maize crop as a write-off.
It is a disaster year. The crop is moisture-stressed. Maybe the government is going to announce a disaster situation so they can mobilise grain and arrange donor funding.
Without anything coming from farms, the government should kick in by importing grain. The private sector can also play its role to make sure that no one dies of hunger.
The chief executive officer at the State-run Agriculture Rural Development Authority (ARDA) said its crops have also been affected by the drought. He said:
The 2023/2024 agricultural season has been characterised by below-average rainfall brought about by El Nino.
This has not spared cropping programmes managed by ARDA.
However, we have put in place mitigatory measures to counter the effects and salvage our crop.
Reports indicate that large swathes of maize crops had wilted and most of the affected crop would not recover even if rains returned as it had reached the permanent wilting point.
In Mashonaland West Province, some farmers had by last week freed livestock to feed on the wilting maize crop, according to some reports.
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