The recent drought in the Northern and other parts of the country has destroyed some farms in the Wa West District.
Even though recent rains have reached every part of the district, the district’s Department of Agriculture’s assessment has shown that the long spell has destroyed some farms.
Speaking to Info Radio, the Agricultural Extension Agent for the Tanvaare Zone, Mr Ali Salmah, said the situation has thus posed a problem to farmers.
“Some crops can recover from the pressures of the drought following the rains but some too; there is nothing to do at the moment. Some groundnuts that started to flower before the drought cannot recover, the same as maize farms.”
He recommended that farmers opt for crops with shorter maturity periods if they must plant at this time of year, to minimize potential losses.
“Farmers can sow sorghum which has short maturity period. If we are lucky and the rain continued beyond October 20, we can still have a good harvest. But for maize, they require enough water to do well.”
Mr Salmah said distribution of inputs under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) Phase 2 will continue in the coming days.
He mentioned that the Agriculture department has identified strategic locations across the district to provide easier access to the inputs for farmers.
He indicated that the district's large size makes it impractical to have all the inputs stationed in one location for the beneficiary farmers to access.
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