The North-Western Cooperative Union has urged farmers in the province to safeguard their maize from rotting as the region has continued to receive heavy rains.
Cooperative Union General Manager, Patson Kyaba, told ZANIS in an interview that some farmers have already started losing their crops which are still in the fields.
Mr Kyaba said some maize cobs are falling to the ground while others are rotting on the stalks.
“We have been affected as farmers with the continued rainfall especially with the maize that we planted earlier. Our maize has just started getting rotten,” he said.
Mr Kyaba said farmers should therefore not wait for the maize to completely dry up before harvesting it.
He noted that waiting for the actual harvest period, which is usually the month-end of May, will be disastrous.
“What we have suggested is that anytime soon we should start harvesting to avoid making losses on the entire maize field,” Mr Kyaba suggested.
He however stated that in the meantime, farmers should regularly inspect their fields to ensure that the cobs are not storing water which may lead to rotting.