A ZANU PF lawmaker has claimed that seed distributed under the Presidential Inputs Scheme does not germinate, which he said was an inconvenience to farmers.
Rushinga legislator Tendai Nyabani demanded to know the government's measures to ensure that fertile seeds were distributed to farmers under the scheme.
Nyabani was speaking during the Wednesday question and answer session in Parliament where several legislators quizzed the government about its preparedness for the coming 2024/2025 farming season to ensure food security in the country.
Over 1.6 million households are receiving agricultural inputs under the Presidential Inputs Scheme.
“We thank the government for the policies that are there, but we realise that most of the seed distributed does not germinate…(interjections),” Nyabani said.
“Madam Speaker, some of the seed that is stored in inappropriate conditions ends up not germinating.
“What is government policy with regard to storing seed properly so that it does not inconvenience farmers when it fails to germinate?”
National Assembly deputy speaker Tsitsi Gezi chastised the him for asking the question before she gagged him from bringing supplementary questions on the matter.
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Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is also the leader of the house, said Nyabani’s question was technical.
“There are policy questions, where we ask about the status of government policy and Hon. Nyabani’s question is technical,” Ziyambi said.
Ziyambi said seed houses are better placed to know how many days it takes for a particular seed to be stored and in what conditions to ensure it remains fertile.
“That includes our experts from the Ministry of Agriculture,” he said.
“In order for the honourable member to get a satisfactory answer, may the honourable member put the question in writing and cite examples of exactly where such seed is stored.
“That would assist us to understand the question.”
Ziyambi also said owing to reports of abuse of seed under the Presidential Agricultural Input Support Scheme, the government was targeting the elderly and people with disabilities as beneficiaries.
“What we do is that when we distribute those inputs, we do not just give to lazy people.
“If there is no drought, even if you come and say you are in need of assistance, we will tell you that your neighbour harvested well, but where were you?,” he said.
“These days we monitor the yield and harvest.
“We do not just give inputs to people but we give to people, who live with disabilities or the elderly, because we have realised that they are not able to work for themselves.”
The country is battling a hunger crisis owing to the drought exacerbated by the El Nino effect during the 2023/2024 farming season with indications that nine million Zimbabweans need food aid until March next year.
