LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Zimbabwe is projected to receive good rainfall in the 2021/22 rainy season, a development which may result in the country cutting its grain import bill by 50%.
The country is basking in the glory of a bumper harvest following good rains in the last season.
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) said farmers should start preparing their land ahead of a rainy season projected to be normal to above normal.
“The 2021/2022 rainfall season is projected to be normal to above normal. There is a chance of getting above normal rainfall for the whole period of October, November, and December. We also project the period from January to March to have normal to above normal rainfall. In layman’ terms, we are expecting a good season in terms of rainfall,” MSD said this week.
Analysts said a good rainfall season is expected to improve the country’s economic fortunes through provision of raw materials, improved production and electricity generation.
The government has said it will also embark on wide cloud seeding programme designed to improve rainfall following expert forecasts of normal to above normal rains for Southern Africa during 2021/2022 farming season.
This will help the farmers to continue producing in the wake of the mid-season drought or premature ending of a season.
Government is also planning to drill boreholes in strategic A1 and communal farming areas.
Agriculture experts believe that whether a good or a bad season the government needs to move with speed on ensuring inputs are readily available as early inputs distribution gives farmers a false start to a season.
Early inputs distribution will help farmers in terms of planning and giving the exact hectarage to be planted with available resources.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union secretary general Paul Zakariya said a good rainy season will bring hope to farmers but inputs should be readily available and affordable.
“We hope that regional predictions are true as we want our farmers to recover from nightmarish seasons in the past where rainfall patterns where so erratic that very few managed to have meaningful output,” he said.
Government looks up to agriculture to stir economic turnaround as it contributes 20% of the gross domestic product, employs more than 70% of the country’s workforce and supplies over 60% of the manufacturing sector’s raw materials.
