ZESA To Prioritise Winter Wheat Farmers
The Government has made arrangements with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) to ensure that winter wheat farmers have adequate electricity and water respectively.
This was said by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary John Basera on Wednesday.
Basera was speaking at the Mashonaland East wheat planting preparedness discussion day in Marondera. He said:
The issue of power has been thoroughly assessed and discussed with ZESA. Ring-fencing of power for wheat farmers is guaranteed.
We are going to have sufficient power for wheat-producing farmers. We are Going4Growth and we must have wheat and flour self-sufficiency at all costs.
Uninterrupted electricity and water supply will change the dynamics of wheat farming in the country.
Basera, however, urged farmers to pay their outstanding debts to ZESA so that the power utility will be able to guarantee electricity supply.
The recommended sowing period for wheat is early April to the end of May and planting has commenced in areas such as Mashonaland West.
The Sunday Mail reported that an estimated 85 000 hectares will be put under winter wheat this year for a targetted output of 408 000 tonnes.
If that is achieved, it will surpass last year’s record of 380 000 tonnes.
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