Over 7,400 hectares of maize wilt in Balaka

The sad state of maize crop in Balaka

* As well as three hectares of cow peas and four for groundnuts

* This puts farm families at risk of hunger in the district

* We started on very good note this year as the crops were promising

By Mary Makhiringa, MANA

Due to prolonged dry spells in Balaka, 7,467 hectares of maize crop as well as three for cow peas and four for ground nuts have completely wilted.

During a district civil protection committee meeting held to share notes on various disasters the district is currently facing, Balaka’ Chief Agriculture, Extension & Natural Resources Officer Denis Zingeni said there are 8,698 hectares of maize, eight for cow peas and 11 for groundnuts which have also temporarily wilted.

Zingeni expressed worry and concern that the prolonged dry spell is likely going to put farm families at risk of hunger as they cannot tell whether these crops will pick up once the rains resumes.

“We started on a very good note this year as the crops were promising although there were some variations in the onset of rains across the district,” Zingeni said

“The first rains were experienced on November 10, 2020 in Bazale, Mpilisi and Ulongwe Extension Planning Areas (EPAs). These rains were not sufficient for planting. However, about two percent of the farmers planted.

He added that this was followed by a dry period that lasted for 16 days — negatively affecting the crop that was planted.

“The district received effective planting rains from November 25 last year to December 5. Since then, the rains have been consistent and the district has not experienced any dry spell.

“Other areas experienced dry weather from February 4 to February 15 leading to temporary wilting of crops and in some areas crops wilted permanently.

“Currently, most parts of the district have experienced resumption of rains starting from February 16.”

He said the development has affected 20,365 farm households as the dry spells have been experienced while most of the maize crop was at reproductive stage and some of the crop has failed to produce cobs.

District agriculture extension coordinating committee chairperson, Edward Mwale said it was sad to experience such bad weather considering that the district had anticipated a promising yield.

“As civil society organisations, we have quickly moved in to rescue the affected farmers,” said Mwale citing Churches Action in Relief and Development (CARD) as distributing sweet potato vines to 700 farmers in Utale.

“Similarly, NASFAM has also intervened by distributing goats to 75 farmers, as we know people cannot live on crops alone, but also rearing different livestock,” he said.