Zimbabwe: Preps for 2007/08 Farming Season On Course - Made

Source from:  The Herald (Harare) 3 December 2007 12/04/2007

PREPARATIONS for the 2007/08 farming season are progressing well with Government making all the necessary efforts to procure inputs for farmers, a Cabinet minister has said. Minister of State for Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation and Irrigation Cde Joseph Made last Wednesday said adequate maize seed and fertilizer had been imported to augment local supplies. He said distribution of the imported seed was expected to begin this week. "We have imported maize seed from Zambia and distribution is set for next week," he said. "Some tobacco farmers have already got fertilizer imported from China and we will ensure that more fertilizer expected into the country soon will be distributed fairly." Cde Made said this while responding to a question without notice from Kambuzuma Member of the House of Assembly Mr Willias Madzimure (MDC), who wanted to know what Government was doing to make sure the 2007/08 season -- dubbed the "mother of all agricultural seasons" -- would be successful. He said Zimbabwe was poised to have a bumper harvest, thanks to thorough preparations which have been complemented by the good rains falling countrywide. Farmers should now work in the fields and ensure that the country boosts its production and address issues of food security, Cde Made said. Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy although recurrent droughts, among other challenges, have affected production in recent years. Enditem