TellZim reporter
RENCO MINE – Chiponda nutritional garden farmers have put a better part of their garden under maize production and said they hope to cash in from the sales of green mealies.
Speaking at an engagement organized by TellZim News at the garden where the media outlet handed over some maize seed and chemicals, the garden’s Agritex officer Fungai Museve said she instructed her famers to plant more maize so that they target green maize sales before the farming season starts.
She also said they wanted to make sure that when the rain falls, their maize crops would be at a better stage of development since the rains usually affect other garden crops like vegetables.
“We want farmers to target green maize market since it is attracting a lot of buyers from towns and growth points. So we have decided to put more land under maize so that it matures at the beginning of the farming season when there is no competition on the market.
Also, the rains during the farming season usually affects vegetable production, so we want our garden to have maize when the rains come so that we won’t have a time where we don’t have crops,” said Museve.
She went on to teach famers on how to apply manure and fertilizers saying maize crops usually indicate their deficiencies through leaf and stem colors.
Chiponda village head Tafirei Manyise said he was impressed by strides being made in the garden which he said benefited people in the village.
“The garden has more people from my village and when it flourishes, it means less poverty for our people and that also lessens unnecessary conflicts in the area. It is my wish that they get more partners to help grow the project and incorporate more people,” said Tafirei.
During another engagement meeting at the same garden in July this year, famers appealed for maize seed and chemicals and TellZim News pledged to lend a helping hand.
The garden has a solar powered borehole which supplies water but the farmers are calling for development partners to help them set up more tanks and fencing material to expand the garden to incorporate more farmers.
It has crop and poultry sections and farmers aim to grow and improve the poultry section which they say is facing market challenges.
Currently the garden has 52 farmers drawn from Chiponda, Muzondo, Muvango, Muchibwa and Maramba villages.
