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HIGH COSTS MAJOR HURDLE FOR FARMERS

23/10/2023 08:41:00 Mthunzi Mdluli

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MBABANE – Some farmers have not touched their fields due to the high costs of farm inputs and tractor hire services.

These sentiments were shared by some of the farmers on Friday, after they were visited in their homesteads around Ezulwini to find out whether they had started ploughing their fields, following the recent rainfall received in the past two weeks. Also, the Ministry of Agriculture has encouraged farmers to start ploughing their fields to ensure a good harvest this season.
The ministry also noted that rainfall came later than expected and, therefore, any further delay would compromise the country in terms of being food secure. In the last planting season, Eswatini received over 85 000 metric tonnes of maize, which was below its target of 144 000 metric tonnes. The decline in the crop production was as a result of high temperatures and insufficient rainfall. When some of the farmers were visited around Ezulwini, to check on how far they had gone in ploughing their crops since the country had started receiving rains, it was discovered that some had already started cultivating their fields, while others were still planning to do so.

Expensive

Most of the interviewed farmers said the high costs of farm inputs and expensive tractor rentals were some of the main challenges barring them from growing enough crops for both commercial and domestic purposes. They explained that it had been hard to cultivate a single hectare due to high costs of farming equipment. It was gathered from some of the farmers that they paid between E600 and E750 to hire privately-owned tractors for an hour to have their land cultivated. As such, due to insufficient funds, some farmers decided to cultivate only a small portion of land for subsistence purposes. Jabulani Dlamini, a subsistence farmer from Mlindazwe under Ezulwini, said due to the high cost of input subsidise, it took a long time for them to plant a hectare as they did not have enough money to hire a tractor.

“We don’t have money to grow enough crops. I don’t think we will overcome the challenge of having inadequate maize to sustain the entire population of Eswatini, if many of us are still failing to grow crops just in a single hectare. Sisebentisa emapiki to cultivate our land,” he said. Dlamini said he was left tongue- tied after discovering that a 10 kilogrammes SC 721 maize seeds bag costs over E1 000, which is almost double what is used to cost about two years ago. He said he was dependent on the elderly grant and could not cultivate a large portion of land due to lack of farm inputs.

Doubled

“A 50 kilogrammes bag of fertiliser now costs E1 300, which is extremely high. These prices have doubled in the past two years yet the ministry is encouraging us to grow crops. Batsi asiyitsatsephi lemali yekulima?,”asked Dlamini. He said under normal circumstances, when he harvested enough maize, it would last him and his family for a year but now, his produce only lasted him three months. To survive, he said they bought mealie-meal from shops. Gugu Sithole, a small scale farmer, said government must start making it a priority for all farmers to grow crops after having provided them with farm inputs. She said by so doing, maize shortage in the country would be a thing of the past. “Let government hire all of us as farmers so that we can start growing crops on behalf of government. Both parties can benefit if such an idea is implemented. Let government provide inputs subsidies for all farmers,” said Sithole.
On another note, Mavis Khumalo, who was found weeding her fields, said it was the second time she planted crops within a period of two months.

She said the maize seeds she planted at first never germinated. She indicated that she first applied kraal manure to her fields to boost the soil fertility. “I spent E1 200 to buy a 10kg of SC 701 maize seeds, which did not germinate. It was hard to accept that nothing had grown in my fields. I had to sit down with my husband, who later encouraged me to continue ploughing crops. Look at what I have today. I also grow maize for commercial purposes,” said Khumalo. Due to high cost of fertilisers in shops, Khumalo said she normally went to a shop at Dalcrue because the prices there were still reasonable.