Lower Gweru(The Times New Ziana) -The District Development Fund (DDF) recently launched the Midlands 2019 tillage programme at Chief Bunina’s homestead in Lower Gweru under which it will till land for the underprivileged in communal areas in the province.

DDF provincial coordinator Molly Shonhiwa, said the launch marked the first tillage in the province.

“Lower Gweru is the first district to have the tillage programme, where small scale farmers are helped to till their land of not more than 0,5 hectares of which most of the small farmers do not have land that amounts to 0,5 hectares,” she said.

“The DDF will provide tractors and will also get tractors from More Food for Africa and we will conduct the same programme in other districts.”

More Food for Africa head in Gweru district Lloyd Sibanda said they would lend DDF tractors so as to speed up the programme so that one district does not take much time.

“We will make an arrangement with DDF that whenever they need more tractors we will be available to intervene,” he said.

Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavhima encouraged the Bunina villagers to be fair in selecting beneficiaries of the tillage programme.

“It is not the government that is going to select the families that are going to benefit from the tillage programme as it cannot cater for everyone, but the less privileged and the vulnerable,” he said.

“DDF is working very hard to help the community since many have lost their livestock and are surviving from Presidential inputs.

“DDF will pay for all the tilling expenses and residents should be on the look out for fraudsters who would want to make them pay.”

Residents under Chief Bunina expressed gratitude to the DDF, the government and MFA for rendering assistance to the less privileged in the rural areas.

New Ziana