Online Reporter
Doris Mpala
Agriculture Correspondent
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka has challenged stakeholders to transform agriculture from predominantly subsistence production into a business-oriented industry capable of driving rural industrialisation and economic growth.
He said this while officiating at the inaugural Agricultural Conference and Expo held in Harare recently. Minister Masuka said the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2026-2030 focused on perennial food security, improved nutrition, better farmer livelihoods and using agriculture as a catalyst for wider economic development.
“We need to move away from dependence on imports during periods of production shortfalls and strengthen domestic food production in response to global economic disruptions. Farmers must be placed at the centre of agricultural value chains and receive a fairer share of the value generated from their produce,” he said.
He said the Government was also promoting climate-smart agriculture, including conservation farming and accelerated irrigation development, to reduce the sector’s vulnerability to changing weather patterns.
Minister Masuka said 496 000 hectares of irrigation by 2030 to boost national food security. Government is also establishing village, school and youth business units, while expanding irrigation and processing capacity to support aggregation, beneficiation and rural enterprise development.
“Our long-term objective is to transform Zimbabwe into an agro-industrial hub rather than simply a breadbasket, with processed products such as flour being exported instead of raw commodities,” he said
He said the Government was also considering measures to reduce input costs, including fertiliser import duties, while strengthening financing, insurance, livestock drought mitigation, coordination and early-warning systems to build resilience across the agricultural sector.
Presenting at the same function, Africa Economic Development Strategies (AEDS) director-general Professor Gift Mugano said the agriculture sector had potential to contribute even more towards the country’s development if existing strengths are leveraged to address weaknesses. The industry recorded significant growth over the past six years, with its contribution to the economy doubling from about US$5,2 billion to US$10 billion.
Prof Mugano said the growth in the agriculture sector demonstrated its capacity to contribute even more towards the country’s development targets. He said AEDS conducted a nationwide study covering 10 provinces and more than 60 rural districts, involving 1 258 stakeholders, including farmers, agro-processors, financial institutions, Government and development partners. The study examined nine thematic areas, including infrastructure, access to finance, markets, technology, climate change and investment opportunities.
“Zimbabwe’s agricultural performance had improved significantly, with the sector growing by 27,9 percent in 2025 and contributing to the country’s overall economic growth. About 79 to 80 percent of respondents identified infrastructure as an impediment to agricultural development,” he said.
Dr Mugano noted that post-harvest losses remained a major concern. “Losses of up to 30 percent could undermine the gains made in production.
He highlighted tobacco, sugar, dairy, poultry and horticulture as examples of subsectors where organised value chains had supported increased production.
Dr Mugano said organised markets, contract farming and coordinated value chains were important in increasing agricultural production. He said that about US$8,3 billion in investment opportunities had been identified in agriculture and food systems up to 2030, particularly in irrigation, mechanisation, storage and value addition.
