Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) has set ambitious 2025/2026 targets for the Midlands Province’s forthcoming summer cropping season aiming to have 7 000 hectares put under maize and 7 500 under sorghum.
Under maize crop, Arda is expecting a yield of 35 000 tonnes and under sorghum 22 500 tonnes are being anticipated.
As approved by the Cabinet in 2023, Arda has been designated the “food, feed, fibre and oil seeds security agent for the nation”.
Improved production in the Midlands Province is expected to significantly contribute to Zimbabwe’s Strategic Grain Reserve, playing a vital role in ensuring national food nutrition and security.
This season, the country aims to achieve a total cereal production of 3.3 million tonnes.
In an interview, Midlands Provincial Director for Agricultural Rural Development and Advisory Services, Ms Busiso Mavankeni, said early indications are that the 2025/26 summer season will have normal rains.
The Summer Plan is based on the policy imperative to build forward better, produce sufficient cereals to achieve food security, replenish the strategic grain reserve and build resilience.
The Summer Plan is the implementation tool for the Government’s Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS2).
“The Summer Plan harnesses the agricultural enablers, co-factors, causes and multipliers to systematically sustain increased production and productivity,” said Ms Mavankeni.
“For the 2025/26 season, the focus on crops will be based on agro-ecological tailoring of crops, enhancing climate-proofing at household level (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) and at national level (expansion of area under irrigation).”
Ms Mavankeni said the 2025/26 summer cropping plan aims to sustainably increase cereal production to surpass the national requirements for food by over 30 percent, above the policy target of 10 percent.
“The Midlands Province aims to increase production of cereals and legumes during summer 2025/2026. Arda has set ambitious 2025/26 targets for the Midlands Province forthcoming summer cropping season aiming to have 7 000 hectares put under maize and 7 500 under sorghum,” she said.
“Under maize crop, we are expecting a yield of 35 000 tonnes and under sorghum 22 500 tonnes are being anticipated.”
Ms Mavankeni said the Midlands Province has a comparative advantage in the production of traditional grains and legumes.
The province is also focused on other strategic crops such as cotton, sweet potatoes, tobacco and sesame.
“Some 85 percent of the population consumes maize and traditional grains as staple grains, while 15 percent consumes potatoes/rice as staple food.
“Rice and potatoes have become alternative staples. Therefore, it is imperative to cater for the varying consumption patterns in our food systems,” said Ms Mavankeni.
She further highlighted that climate-proofed Presidential input support scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) aims to develop three plots per household dictated by agro-ecological region-specific crop input packages.
The package will include water retention enhancers for Zunde RaMambo/Isiphala SeNkosi, an herbicide package for three plots and a fall armyworm control package.
“The Zunde RaMambo/Isiphala SeNkosi scheme will support 10 plots for chiefs, seven plots for headmen and five plots each for village heads based on agro-ecological tailoring,” she said.
Ms Mavankeni said Arda will support all functional irrigation schemes and commercial production farmers.
On cotton, she said cotton production targets for the 2025/2026 summer season will see the Government supporting two plots per grower.
“The farmer will be required to access inputs, and both are mandatory by October to access inputs. Similarly, a new bank card system will be tested by AFC,” she said.
Under the Presidential Community Fisheries Scheme, Arda aims to stock in each Village Business Units (VBU’s), Youth Business Units, Vocational Training Centre Business Unit and dams.
“The target for the province is to have 250 fishponds with 500 000 fingerlings. We have stocked 109 200 fingerlings in ponds and small dams,” said the official.
“The 2025/2026 Summer Plan is based on the need to increase production and productivity of crops, horticulture, fisheries and livestock.
“The Summer Plan is anchored on climate-proofed interventions at both household and national levels to produce surplus food and feed, while making progress towards production of sufficient oils.”
Bongani Ndlovu