Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera-Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
Stakeholders in the agriculture value chain have called on the Government to conduct a post-harvest wheat survey, as the current Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment reports exclude verifiable statistics on the crop, despite its importance as an economic contributor.
The survey is intended to establish statistics that will be used to plan for national food security, milling requirements, imports and farmer support programmes.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development carries out two CLAFA assessments annually.
The initial assessment, conducted around January and February, determines area planted, while the final assessment in March/April estimates projected yields.
Wheat is planted from May and harvested around October, and is therefore excluded from these crop assessment reports.
The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) and the Ministry of Agriculture partnered to undertake a comprehensive 2024/2025 Post-Harvest Survey (PHS) to strengthen the accuracy and reliability of agricultural statistics.
The PHS provides a comprehensive picture of crop production and the use of key agricultural inputs. However, no PHS has been conducted for wheat.
During presentations at the 2025 Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) recently, AMA chief executive, Ms Alice Mapfiza, said 641,000 tonnes of wheat were produced last year from 122,000 hectares put under the crop.
“Marketed wheat volume surged from 222,229 tonnes in 2024 to 402,269 last year,” she disclosed.
An agricultural expert and executive administrator of the Stockfeed Manufacturers Association of Zimbabwe (SMAZ), Dr Reneth Mano, said there was a need for the Ministry of Agriculture and ZimStats to conduct a post-harvest survey to determine the verifiable quantity of wheat produced, for policy intervention.
“Validation of wheat figures by AMA last year was not done, and the authority should ensure figures are verified before presentation to the Ministry,” he said.
AMA has since moved to register wheat farmers before they embark on production, in line with its compliance rules.
This season, wheat production was financed under the climate-proofed Presidential Inputs Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa), by self-financed farmers, through the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme (NEAPS) financed by AFC and CBZ, by the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), and by private contractors.
Wheat is the second most important strategic food security crop after maize. It is mainly used as human food in the form of bread, pasta products, breakfast cereals, cake and many others.
It is an active contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2: 2026–30 (AFSRTS 2) notes the change in consumption patterns.
“Zimbabwe is currently witnessing a shift in consumption patterns from maize to rice, pasta and Irish potatoes.
“AFSRTS 2 seeks to increase local production of foods to reduce the import bill.
“The increasing prominence of rice, pasta, traditional grains and potatoes signals a move from over-reliance on a single staple, which is likely to intensify as consumption patterns continue to morph, as consumer awareness of health, nutrition, environmental impact and sustainability continue to grow,” read the blueprint.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show that macaroni and pasta imports rose by 500 percent to US$45.64 million last year, from US$7.61 million in 2019.
In volume terms, imports rose by 411 percent to 58 million kilogrammes in 2025, from 11 million kilogrammes in 2019.
Pasta generally refers to a wide variety of Italian noodles made from dough (durum wheat), with macaroni being a specific type of short, dry, tubular pasta.
