Online Reporter
Tapiwanashe Mangwiro
Zimbabwe’s 2024/25 post-harvest data show that the country’s cereal output slipped below earlier expectations, but remained strong enough to ensure a modest grain surplus through mid-2026, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT).
Presenting the first ever Post-Harvest Survey for the 2024/25 season, Mr Nelson Mupfugami, Manager for Agriculture and Environment Statistics at ZIMSTAT, said total cereal production reached 2,24 million tonnes, down from 2,93 million tonnes projected in April’s Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment 2 (CLAFA-2).
“The survey provides a comprehensive picture of what was actually harvested and kept in stock,” he said. “It enables policymakers to base decisions on verified production, not estimates.”
Of the total, maize accounted for 1,82 million tonnes, followed by sorghum at 288 344 tonnes, pearl millet 111 399 tonnes, and finger millet 23 376 tonnes.
For maize, the official data point to a 23 percent variance from the earlier estimate of 2,29 million tonnes, which can be attributed to challenges the crop could have faced before haverst such as a pests outbreak among others.
Even so, maize stocks were substantial, with about 1,06 million tonnes, or 58,5 percent, of all maize produced remaining in storage by early September, while 279 000 tonnes had already been consumed and 398 900 tonnes sold.
“We are observing a situation where household retention for consumption has increased, reflecting caution among farmers after a difficult climatic year,” Mr Mupfugami said.
The data confirm that Zimbabwe’s communal areas remain the backbone of production. Smallholders produced 794 000 tonnes of maize, or 44 percent of the total, far ahead of any other sector. A1 farms followed with 437 000 tonnes, and A2 commercial farms with 331 000 tonnes.
The findings feed directly into the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s food-security projections for the 2025/26 consumption year.
At the prevailing food consumption rate of 7,5 kg per person per month, Zimbabwe will require about 1,39 million tonnes for human use and 400 000 tonnes for livestock, leaving an estimated surplus of 456 900 tonnes by May 2026.
Mr Mupfugami said: “This outlook provides a cushion for national cereal requirements, assuming stable post-harvest management and limited additional losses.”
