A soil enrichment programme has officially been launched in Uzumba, Zimbabwe. Legislator for Uzumba Simbaneuta Mudarikwa who hosted the exhibition at Hodzi’s homestead said that Government tested Zimbabwean soils and discovered that its alkalinity had gone unpalatable for farming due to successive droughts.
“That is why we have launched the Uzumba Soil Enrichment Agricultural Show (UDSEAS), a soil neutralisation and enrichment mixture programme at Zvauya Village in Ward 11. This will be an exhibition of the best and cheapest soil enricher that has best harvest for any crop and also preserving moisture in any region,” said Mudarikwa.
UMP Agritex authorities consisting of its Supervisor, Murombo Kasambarare, Agritex Extension Officer, Paminas Chipembere and the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe Extension Officer, Gurumombe all officiated and endorsed the exhibition. The legislator added that soil enrichment will go a long way in helping the country attain Vision 2030 which identifies Agriculture as the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy.
Testing stages
“We used to use ‘L.A.N’ fertilizer, meaning Lime was for the soil’s alkalinity, A-N for Ammonium Nitrate. Let’s promptly accept better developments like this as it results in fast maturing of plants, moisture conservation and drastically dropped costs to treat the soil,” said Mudarikwa.
One of the farmers who worked with Cde Mudarikwa during the testing stages of the soil mixture programme last rain season, Mr Patrick Musakwa, 61 explained the advantages of enriching the soil.
“I used to put three bags of fertilizer for a 10kg seed bag, but now I just need one fertiliser bag.So from my experience, Zinc mixture is best because my seed germinated after 4days than the previously 7days. In 4-5days after germination, my plants were at knee level,” said Mr Musakwa.
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