Farmers encouraged to utilise good rains expected this week

Marvelous Mpofu

16.01.24

Rural Development Services acting director of crop production Mr Leonard Munamati has urged farmers to utilise the good rains expected this week as according to the Meterological Services Department.

Munamati encouraged farmers who have planted to apply top dressing fertilisers within the first two weeks of planting their crops.

“In some areas, the rains will be quite heavy, we are encouraging farmers to utilise these rains very very well. For a start we want all those farmers who have started to come in with an early top dressing fertilisers, for example we normally top class in the first four or so weeks,” said Munamati.

He further urged farmers to control weeds through use of herbicides.

“We also encourage farmers during this period to make sure that they control their weeds. The crops don’t need competition especially in the first four to five weeks, you need minimum competition with weeds, so farmers should use herbicides so that they quickly destroy weeds that will be competing with our crops,” said Munamati.

The Meterological department reported that scattered thunderstorms are expected in Matabeleland North and South, Bulawayo, the Midlands, Harare, and Northern districts of Manicaland and Mashonaland this week.

Farmers will hope to get decent harvests as the El Nino weather phenomenon, which threatened to cause a severe drought this season, is expected to weaken in intensity.