Sundaymail EditorTheseus Shambare
Sunday Mail Reporter
EVEN as harvesting of the 2024/2025 summer crops begins, the Government has already started laying the groundwork for a successful winter wheat season.
This year’s targeted output — 600 000 tonnes — remains the same as for last year.
Acting chief director of Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Mr Leonard Munamati said full-scale preparations for the fast-approaching season were underway.
“We have started preparations for the 2025 winter plan,” he said.
“We are once again targeting around 120 000 hectares as per target last season.”
A multi-pronged approach
The Government is emphasising proactive engagement with various players, including farmers and financiers, to ensure resource availability and coordinated planning.
A diverse range of funding and support mechanisms will be used.
“We are going to have wheat grown under the private sector,” he said.
“FCCA (Food Crop Contractors Association) again is going to contract farmers.
“We are going to have farmers growing wheat under the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme, currently funded by banks like AFC, CBZ and NMB.”
The Presidential Input Programme, Arda-managed irrigation schemes and self-financing farmers will also play crucial roles.
A successful harvest, Mr Munamati said, hinges on readily available resources.
“We are already holding meetings with various stakeholders to ensure that we have got enough seed, to make sure that fertilisers are there, to make sure that power is available, to make sure that we have adequate water through Zinwa (Zimbabwe National Water Authority),” he said.
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa), he added, had requested farmers to submit meter numbers and GPS locations for ring-fencing to ensure reliable power supply.
“Water and power — these are important inputs.
“As farmers are contracted, the contractors, the financiers should make sure that they understand that these two are important inputs as well.”
To date, 150 megawatts (MW) have been ring-fenced for use by farmers, an increase from last year’s 120MW.
Diversification
The Government’s winter cropping preparations extend beyond wheat, as there will also be focus on potatoes and barley.
“We are also targeting to increase potato production,” he said.
“Last year, we had some very good hectares under potato, and this time around, we are increasing the hectares.”
Wheat seminars designed to provide a crucial platform for knowledge sharing and collaborative planning by all stakeholders in the wheat value chain will also be held.
The target this year is to increase yields.
“We want to move away from the 4,7 tonnes per hectare, which we achieved in 2024, to about 5,1 or 5,2 tonnes per hectare this year, so the seminars will focus on how farmers can incorporate best agronomic practices to achieve these higher yields,” Mr Munamati said.
He stressed the importance of water management.
“We are encouraging farmers to make sure that they are in touch with Zinwa, and the amount of water available in their dams should be in sync with the hectarage that they want to do so that we are not going to have any water shortages.”
To support farmers in preparing the land, tillage resources are being mobilised.
A total 15 308 tractors, 9 230 disc harrows, 11 212 ploughs and 313 combine harvesters will form the basis to power the agriculture season.
In addition, the country is expecting 700 tractors and 80 combine harvesters to add to the country’s fleet, with the first batch expected during the early stages of the wheat cropping season.
Twenty-two mechanisation cluster centres have been established nationwide to provide farmers with access to the equipment at minimal cost.
Deputy director for agricultural engineering, mechanisation and farm infrastructure development Engineer Harrison Basikoro said there was need for a smooth transition from summer cropping to the winter season.
“Each combine harvester can do at least 10 hectares per day.
“Our capacity as far as harvesting of the 2024/2025 summer cropping will be roughly around 4 000 hectares per day, minimum.
“So, if we consider a 150-day harvesting, then our minimum capacity will be close to 700 000 hectares, minimum. There are no delays in transitioning to the winter wheat season,” he said.
“We have got enough equipment, both from the Government and the private entities to do shelling and threshing services. So, we are encouraging farmers who have not arranged their harvesting services to approach our offices, be it a provincial office or district offices, where they can register if they require those services. All is set for a remarkable winter wheat season.”
Eng Basikoro urged farmers to take advantage of the equipment to start constructing fireguards to avoid any future fire damage.
Online Reporter