Chimoio government distributes seeds

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Chimoio government distributes seeds

9:09 CAT | 10 Jan 2018

File photo / 2,000 tonnes of vegetable seeds were distributed to poor peasant farmers in the city’s green belt.

The government of Chimoio city, in the central Mozambican province of Manica, has distributed 2,000 tonnes of vegetable seeds to poor peasant farmers in the city’s green belt.

There are 19,200 farmers involved in the 2017/2018 agricultural campaign in Chimoio, and 6,100 of them need support in seeds to ensure production in the 2018 harvest.

In the initial phase, the distribution of seeds has covered 220 producers in the Chimoio neighbourhoods of Chianga, Stanha and Agostinho Neto.

The Chimoio city administrator, Daniel Andicene, told reporters that the government will continue to provide assistance to peasant farmers to boost production and productivity.

“We are banking on vegetable production, and we have obtained improved seeds”, he said. “This is the first phase, and we are finding other partners so that we can acquire more seeds for other producers whom we believe need urgent assistance. In total, we need 12 tonnes of seed to cover all the producers”.

Andicene said the second phase of seed distribution will take place in the next few days. The government will acquire a further 10 tonnes of seeds for all the farmers who need support, including those who are in peasants’ associations.

“In Chimoio, we have 20,000 hectares available for farming”, he said. “We have individual producers and associations working on a large scale to produce vegetables to supply the city and neighbouring areas”.

He urged the public to bank on agriculture, just as they did last year when agricultural production in the city exceeded expectations “thanks to the direct or indirect involvement of the entire population in food production”.

The main vegetables produced in the city are tomatoes, lettuce and cabbages. Farmers in the green belt also produce maize. These crops feed a Chimoio population put at 540,000 by the 2017 census.

Source: AIM