Sunday Mail

Aug. 30, 2020

The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has started distributing inputs to farmers to give them a head start ahead of the 2020-2021 summer cropping season.

The inputs are not being stockpiled, but distributed as soon as they are received from suppliers.

Close to 2 million households, particularly those who have received training through the Pfumvudza Conservation Agriculture Programme, will benefit from the recently remodelled Climate-Proofed Presidential Inputs Scheme.

Roll out of the Presidential Input Scheme fertiliser production

Farming inputs manufacturer, Fertiliser Seed Grain (FSG) has said preparations for the production of fertiliser for the Presidential Input Scheme was already on course and assured farmers that they would get the chemicals on time for them to plant crops.

FSG, which also has operations in Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia, is contracted by the Government to supply fertiliser to about two million vulnerable households under State-sponsored schemes that include the Presidential Cotton Inputs Scheme, designed to assist marginalised people.

The government partners with We Effect Zimbabwe and other partners to boost national milk production.

The country’s milk production is set to improve after Government, in partnership with We Effect Zimbabwe and other partners, recently launched a four-year dairy project worth about US$8 million.The project is expected to increase the country’s annual milk output from 75 million litres to 120 million litres.

The Zimbabwe government and the European Union (EU), launch a USD45 Million Livestock fund

The government of Zimbabwe and the European Union (EU) yesterday launched a US$45 million Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme fund which is expected to boost the livestock sector, maximise smallholder farmers’ profits and improve competitiveness on domestic and international markets. The programme mainly targets small to large scale livestock producers, private sector integrators, processors, research organisations, farmers unions and financial service providers among others. The programme, which is covering all the country’s 10 provinces, will address the weaknesses and gaps in the livestock sector that have prevented the industry from increasing productivity, production and incomes to their potential. The focus will be on the knowledge and innovation services delivered by agricultural education, extension and research in animal disease control and food safety, institutional reforms and policy alignment. The program is focusing on different value chains and projects within Zimbabwe sector namely; beef, poultry, dairy, pig and goats.