The Government has adopted a six-plan strategy to mitigate the anticipated El Niño weather phenomenon targeting 16 million Pfumvudza plots.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Anxious Masuka said the Government was targeting three million smallholder farmers with each expected to establish three Pfumvudza plots to improve their resilience to drought.
“We have done more than 9.6 million plots of Pfumvudza, so well on target to doing the 16 million plots,” he said.
The minister said the government has put this strategy in place to help farmers cope with the expected dry conditions and protect food production.
Masuka said the distribution under the Presidential Input Programme was progressing with 45 percent of the required basal fertiliser already moved.
“We now have 100 percent of the top dressing, 100 percent of the maize seed required, and almost 30 percent of the sorghum seed that’s required,” he said.
Government is urging farmers to grow traditional grains which can better withstand dry conditions than maize in many farming environments.
The minister said all three million beneficiaries should plant a traditional grain crop to reduce their vulnerability to the anticipated drought.
“In this drought year, we want each of the three million beneficiaries to do a traditional grains crop so that they can climate themselves from the expected super El Niño this season,” he said.
The preparations come as the country prepares for the expected dry spell season in an effort to protect smallholder farmers from the effects of low rainfall, which could affect crop yields, livestock and household food.
