Online Reporter
Agriculture Reporter
Farmers are optimistic about prospects for the 2026 farming season and anticipate enhanced output across most key sub-sectors.
This comes after 2025 witnessed significant milestones in wheat and tobacco production, which achieved record yields, contributing to strong economic growth prospects for the year.
Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy, crucial for employment, food security, and exports, supporting over 60-70 percent of the population and supplying vital raw materials for industry.
The sector contributes between 12 and 16 percent to the gross domestic product, making the sector one of the largest alongside mining, manufacturing and tourism.
Tobacco and wheat are the country’s largest commercial crops.
Tobacco deliveries reached 355 million kilogrammes in 2025 and generated over US$1,2 billion in revenue, with the success attributed to sustained Government support.
In the other key milestone, wheat production reached 639 942 tonnes, the highest-ever recorded since wheat growing started in 1966.
Farmers expect significant production growth, especially if the challenges of high production costs are addressed.
Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association president, Mr George Seremwe, said agricultural production was poised to keep increasing.
“The sector has attracted the interest of many, including those from the diaspora. Many people have realised the importance of farming. We expect bumper harvests this year. In tobacco, numerous contractors are showing interest and many players are emerging across sectors, including cereals and livestock,” he said.
Mr Seremwe said tobacco farmers did not face challenges with payments last season and hoped that the upcoming marketing season in 2026 would also turn out smoothly.
He emphasised the need for relevant authorities to tackle production costs, stating that input prices remained high, as they were often purchased in foreign currency.
“There is a need for a structured system to ensure input subsidies at the manufacturing level, enabling all farmers to access affordable seeds, fertilisers and chemicals, potentially through tax exemptions on raw materials used in producing these inputs,” he said.
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Trust president, Mrs Depinah Nkomo, commended the Government for its various support initiatives.
She said the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) was assisting farmers by providing machinery, encouraging them to organise into groups to borrow equipment and repay in instalments.
“Some farmers are, however, financially constrained and may struggle to repay within the stipulated time frame,” she said. “We hope relevant institutions will consider granting farmers a grace period before commencing loan repayments.
“Those with strong track records should be allowed to borrow without a deposit, particularly for irrigation equipment.”
Mrs Nkomo highlighted that many smallholder farmers, especially women, required irrigation facilities to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on their farming activities.
“If we have access to drip irrigation, we can boost production and invest more in agriculture. Farmers would then be able to produce crops year-round, resulting in increased income, which would help with loan repayments,” she said.
Tobacco Farmers union Trust president, Mr Edward Dune, said farmers were happy with the positive developments in the tobacco industry and were expecting further advancements in local funding for the sector this year.
“The way forward is to consider long-term initiatives beyond 2026,” he said. “Viable crops require sustained efforts. As tobacco farmers, we need to benefit from localised funding.
“The costs of inputs must be addressed and we should promote local processing of the crop. Empowering locals to not only produce, but also process the crop would guarantee higher returns than they currently receive.”
Cotton Council of Zimbabwe (CCOZ secretary general and chief executive, Engineer Chris Murove, said the country had received favourable rains enough to support strong agricultural production this season.
“Farmers, who planted cotton early, are expecting better yields, particularly those who received adequate inputs,” he said. “Unfortunately, some contractors, with the exception of Cottco, have only supplied seed and insufficient fertilisers, which could adversely affect farmers’ yields unless they supplement these inputs themselves.”
Mr Murove said affected farmers should be allowed to have a portion of their cotton crop classified as “free or uncontracted cotton” and sell this at higher prices or value-add through toll ginning, enabling them to sell lint and ginned seed at better prices than raw seed cotton.
Eng Murove urged the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to enforce contracting regulations related to cotton growing to protect the rights of farmers regarding their free cotton, ensuring fairness in cotton contracting.
