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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 79619, member: 636"] Farmers are being told to plant hard and mix up their crops with all this rain. Government officials are pushing to use the good wet season for a huge harvest. Whether people say the current La Nina pattern means normal or even above average rainfall, which is the second year in a row for these conditions. Last year's similar weather already led to a surplus of maize and traditional grains. Current planting numbers are way up from last season. Officials report over fifteen million Pfumvudza plots prepared nationally, which is a big increase. By mid December, farmers had planted over one point four million hectares of maize, along with several hundred thousand hectares of sorghum, pearl millet, soybeans, and sunflowers. Tobacco planting is also significantly higher, with about a hundred thirteen thousand hectares in the ground. Inputs like seed and fertilizer are being delivered to Grain Marketing Board depots across the country. A provincial officer in Matabeleland North said they are almost ninety percent toward their planting goal and optimistic about strong crop and livestock output if rains hold. One farmer called the consistent showers an answered prayer for crop growth and community food security. A livestock specialist noted the rains promise major organic growth for the national cattle herd, as healthy animals breed more. Good pastures and plenty of crop leftovers after harvest will also mean cheaper feed and fewer animal deaths. He advised farmers to keep up with animal health management to boost reproduction rates. [/QUOTE]

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