ZIMBABWE’S much-ballyhooed "Mother of all seasons" looks set to become the "Mother of all poor harvests", agricultural experts warned last week.
They warned, contrary to official predictions of a bumper harvest, of a "serious food crisis."
Their projection: the harvest may only amount to 30 percent of the total national maize requirements. The experts blame the crisis on poor agricultural planning by the government and the excessive rains which have been falling since last December.
Most farmers failed to plant on time because they could not access seed, fertilizer and fuel, among other vital inputs. They were repeatedly promised the inputs by the government, but in the end only a few managed to get them.
The situation was exacerbated by the heavy rains which resulted in water-logging. The continuous rains made even weeding virtually impossible, resulting in maize competing with weeds for sunlight and nutrients.
The experts estimate that Zimbabwe would produce between 500 000 and 600 000 tonnes of maize against a national requirement of two million tonnes.
An agricultural expert warned Zimbabwe could face a food crisis of the magnitude of the 1991/2 season, during which millions survived on food handouts. That crisis, ironically, was caused by drought.
Another expert said the seed and fertilizer industries failed to supply the commodities because of unviable prices set by the government, shortage of foreign currency, power outages and erratic supply of coal.Some farmers said they obtained fertilizer when the crop was already reaching maturity stage.
Amos Mutingwende, a farmer, said, "There was no seed, no fertilizer and no loans for farmers, except for the beneficiaries of political patronage."
Subsidised diesel obtained by the farmers for what some called "a song" was being sold on the black market instead.
But two weeks ago, Gumbo was upbeat about the prospect of a bumper harvest, despite indications to the contrary. He encouraged farmers to plant maize although the season is edging towards the end.
But a Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (ZCFU) official said planting maize now "is a waste of resources and effort" as the crop would not mature. "Maize requires heat units (enough sunlight and warm soil) which we don’t have now. The maize will grow but will not produce a quality crop," he said.
Food shortages have plagued Zimbabwe for the past seven years, following the invasions of white-owned commercial farmers in 2000.The invasions, spearheaded by liberation war veterans, nearly decimated the agriculture sector, which once earned the country the accolade of the breadbasket of southern Africa.
