Registration for winter wheat season begins
LETTICIA MAGOMBO
The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has opened registration for the 2022 winter wheat season for self-financed farmers and contractors in order to be accounted for in the national database.
The registration is done since wheat is a controlled crop. It is also done in line with the provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Authority Act (Chapter 18:24) read with Statutory Instrument 140 of 2013 and 271 (Grain, Oilseed and Products), which clarifies that the trading of goods in the listed categories is not permitted unless the respective parties are registered as a buyer, broker, contractor, among others, to AMA.
Participants can register online on AMA’s website or at the one stop shop at Ngungunyana Building, along Borrowdale Road, AMA said.
The registration comes amid fears of global supply challenges due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The target for winter wheat production has been set at 383,500 tonnes to be grown in 7 500 hectares with 7 000 hectares being set aside by the government for barley production.
The Ministry of Lands Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has also rolled out a Quelea busting initiative in Mashonaland Central and Muzarabani to ensure a smooth season.
The birds roosting and breeding sites are undergoing busting in order to suppress their populations to safeguard sorghum and millet crops produced during the winter season.
Last year, the birds wreaked havoc on the crops before they had to be chemically disposed of.
