Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Herald Correspondent
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority has achieved a record summer cereal hectarage, after putting more than 101 000 hectares under maize and traditional grains for the 2025/26 agricultural season.
This marks a significant boost to Zimbabwe’s Strategic Grain Reserve and national food security. The milestone comes as the Government accelerates implementation of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2 2026–2030), which positions ARDA as a central agent for food, feed, fibre and oil security, while promoting rural industrialisation and economic transformation.
During a recent tour of ARDA Doreen’s Pride (Mbuya Nehanda Estate) in Kadoma, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Professor Obert Jiri hailed the authority’s achievement as a demonstration of Zimbabwe’s capacity to produce sufficient grain for strategic reserves and commercial markets.
“ARDA is increasingly becoming the food and feed agent of the nation.
“In 2025, winter wheat exceeded 60 000 hectares, and for summer cereals this season, the target was 100 000 hectares. They have already surpassed that, with 101 230 hectares planted to date and all that grain will flow into the SGR. “This is the first time ARDA has reached over 100 000 hectares, and it demonstrates the authority’s critical contribution to national food security,” Prof Jiri said.
He said ARDA now balances commercial sustainability with national strategic priorities, ensuring that Government-supported production goes into the SGR while commercially funded outputs also contribute.
He urged ARDA to expand value addition and rural industrialisation, develop Village Business Units and service centres and drive agro-processing activities in rural communities in line with the Rural Development 8.0 model under NDS2.
“ARDA’s operations are also aligned with the national target of 350 000 hectares of functional irrigable land by 2030, while collaboration with ARDAS and ZETDC has improved farmer database management, power allocation, and seasonal planning,” he said.
Providing a detailed update, ARDA chief executive officer, Mr Tino Mhiko, said the summer crops comprise 34 752 hectares of irrigated maize and 64 478 hectares of traditional grains, mainly red and white sorghum, spread across estates, irrigation schemes, A1 and A2 joint ventures and clustered smallholder farmers across all eight farming provinces.
“We are in a massive planting exercise for the 2025/26 summer season as part of our mandate to translate food security policy into tangible production,” Mr Mhiko said.
He said the scale of plantings reflected ARDA’s focus on efficiency, technology-driven agriculture and structured partnerships.
“This ambitious production drive, leveraging modern technology, drone-assisted chemical and fertiliser application, and well-structured partnerships, underscores ARDA’s central role in converting policy into measurable output that supports the SGR,” he said.
ARDA is also providing farmers with working capital, seeds, fertilisers and chemicals to enhance productivity, resilience and climate-smart farming practices.
Traditional grains have been prioritised in regions prone to erratic rainfall, while irrigated maize is receiving full operational support.
“Traditional grains are a strategic priority, particularly in areas with unpredictable rainfall.
“We are ensuring farmers have all the inputs necessary to secure viable yields, while supporting maize production through irrigation infrastructure and resources,” Mr Mhiko said.
