Online Reporter
Patience Maturure, Agriculture Reporter
THE Government is targeting increased production of oil seeds during the 2025/26 summer cropping season, as part of efforts to reduce imports and ensure national food security.
It wants farmers to produce oilseed enough to support 75 688 mega litres against the national demand of 180 000 mega litres of oil.
Most of the oil crops during the 2025/26 season will be produced under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Professor Obert Jiri said the Pfumvudza/Intwasa initiative had shown promising results, with notable increases in crop yields and productivity, positioning it to significantly contribute to meeting the country’s oilseed production goals.
“As the ministry, we aim to address the shortage of oil by promoting the production of oilseed crops.
“Oilseeds are essential for both human and animal consumption. These crops provide cooking oil and feed for livestock,” he said.
Prof Jiri said the country required 700 to 1 000 tonnes of seed for planting each year and currently imports 25,5 percent of its sunflower seeds from South Africa.
“As Government, we seek to reduce imports of cooking oil, support agricultural self-sufficiency and strengthen the nation’s food security and economic stability.
“We are implementing various strategies to enhance oilseed production, including the promotion of high-yielding crop varieties and providing subsidised inputs to farmers.
“We are focused on feed security and oilseed security and we encourage farmers to produce these crops so that the country saves foreign currency,” he said.
The 2025-2026 analysis projects a target increase for self-sufficiency, but a deficit of 104 312 mega-litres is anticipated.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s 2025-2026 summer season plan shows the annual oilseed requirements, indicating a conversion ratio of 16 percent from cotton to oil, yielding a total of 30 240 mega litres of oil from planned production.
The sunflower conversion ratio is 25 percent and the planned production is expected to yield 23 038 mega litres of oil.
With an 18 percent conversion ratio, soyabean production is projected to generate 22 410 megalitres of oil.
The planned production of cotton, sunflower and soybean is expected to yield a total of 75 688 megalitres of oil for the 2025/2026 summer season.
Meanwhile, sunflower production is projected to reach 92 150 tonnes, exceeding the national requirement of 76 000 tonnes and yielding a surplus of 16 150 tonnes.
The soyabean production target is set at 115 500 tonnes, with a national requirement of 240 000 tonnes, resulting in a deficit of 124 500 tonnes.
Cotton production is projected to reach 189 000 tonnes, with a national requirement of 300 000 tonnes, leaving a deficit of 111 000 tonnes.
The Pfumvudza initiative’s success is anticipated to have a positive impact on the country’s food security and economic stability.
