THE Government has started servicing combine harvesters and strategically deploying them to ensure the timely harvest of summer crops with particular emphasis on irrigated areas.
This comes as the nation is poised for a bumper harvest following favourable rainfall patterns and improved agronomic practices by farmers across provinces.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said preparations for the harvesting of summer crops and transition into the winter cropping programme had begun.
“Combine harvesters are currently being serviced and will be deployed in clusters to facilitate timely harvesting, particularly for irrigation farmers who need to transition quickly into winter wheat production.
“Our mechanisation department is ensuring that combines are being serviced and will be in clusters. Farmers with irrigation must combine promptly and prepare for the winter season,” he said.
Deputy Minister Haritatos expressed optimism over the 2025/2026 summer cropping season, citing excellent crop establishment, promising yields and improved quality across major commodities.
“Late last year, we had a great amount of rainfall that came into our country, and that rainfall continues even up to now. So we are looking towards a great amount of production,” he said.
While final projections will only be confirmed after completion of the second Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment (CLAFA), he indicated that current field observations pointed to a highly productive season.
“In general, the crop out there looks fantastic. We are seeing a considerable amount of maize in the ground, traditional grains, sunflower and we remain very optimistic as a Ministry that this season should be a bumper harvest,” he said.
Deputy Minister Haritatos urged farmers to follow good agronomic practices for high yields.
“Good agronomy can only result in a good crop. Let our farmers go out there and make sure their fields are clean. We believe we have done enough, but if we do not focus on cleaning our fields in terms of agronomy, this could also affect our yields,” he said.
The tobacco sector is equally showing strong prospects, with hectarage reportedly 15 to 20 percent higher than last season.
“We are about 15 to 20 percent higher in tobacco production than we were last year in terms of crop in the ground. The quality looks fantastic. We are praying for production in excess of 400 million kilogrammes. That would be a massive increase from last year’s 355 million kilogrammes,” he said.
He commended farmers who embraced Government’s agro-ecological tailoring approach, particularly those in Natural Regions four and five who prioritised traditional grains over maize.
“For those farmers that heeded Government’s calls to put traditional grains rather than maize, it has paid off. Traditional grains are doing fundamentally well, and we are expecting good yields,” he said.-herald
