BY FIONA MOTSA
MBABANE- “If the maize was knee high before the storm, it will grow again.”
This information was shared by the Principal Secretary (PS) to the Ministry of Agriculture, Sydney Simelane, when addressing farmers who had their fields wrecked by the storm on Christmas Day.
Simelane said that the Ministry of Agriculture had looked into the matter, assessed the different areas and how they were affected by the storm.
“We have assessed all the affected areas and we found that the most affected areas are Mpolonjeni in Mbabane, Nkoyoyo and Motshane.
“There is still hope because most of the maize fields had maize at knee high level. This means that the maize will be able to replenish itself and grow again, so there is no need to start over replanting fields,” said the PS.
Simelane further mentioned that they were doing all they could to assist farmers devastated by the storm.
“We are doing all we can to assist farmers. After looking closely to the causes of such devastation, one cannot escape the reality of climate change. A lot has been damaged, including the trees in these areas,” said Simelane.
The Ministry of Agriculture has a set standard of producing maize to the value of 140 metric tons. This is to ensure that there is enough for the country to sustain itself. Due to the storm, the standard has been set back.
