Online Reporter
Agriculture Reporter
Mashonaland West Province is leading in national maize planting, with farmers having put 265 408 hectares under the cereal crop for the 2025/26 summer cropping season.
Of the planted maize, 86 percent, translating to 227 027ha, had germinated by December 19.
This represents an increase from the 178 509ha that had been planted by farmers in the same period last year.
According to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, the latest weekly update, 1 505 066ha of maize had been planted nationally by December 19, with 1 292 959ha having germinated.
During the same period last year, 1 004 526 ha of maize had germinated nationally.
This year, 446 841ha of maize was planted by farmers under the Presidential Inputs Programme, 90 438ha under contract farming and 996 787 ha was planted by self-sponsored farmers.
Manicaland is in second position after planting 254 290ha of maize and more than 200 000 having germinated by December 19.
Farmers in Mashonaland East Province had planted 225 265ha, Mashonaland Central had 228 280ha, Masvingo 192 901ha and Midlands had 175 940ha under the maize crop.
Matabeleland North and South planted 79 591ha and 78 994 hectares respectively, while Harare had 1 755ha and Bulawayo 1 639ha. The bulk of the crop has been reported to be in good condition.
Cereal production dominates Zimbabwe‘s agricultural landscape, with maize serving as the primary staple crop and supplying more than 50 percent of national calorie intake.
According to the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2, (AFSRTS 2), the significance of maize extends beyond human consumption to animal feed, underpinning livestock industries such as poultry, piggery and cattle production.
The strategy outlines that maize’s centrality intersects current food sovereignty debates where colonial legacies favoured maize over traditional grains (sorghum, millets), traditional vegetables (okra) and traditional tubers (sweet potatoes.
“In terms of emerging tastes and preferences, there is a slant towards preferences for exotic tubers(Irish potatoes and cereals (pedi rice).
“The maize-centric food security approach is being challenged by the Second Republic‘s insistence on agro-ecological tailoring of crops, based on soils and fertility management and science-based management of crops at every level.
“Consequently, the cereals food security basket now includes maize/, traditional grains, wheat and rice,” reads the (AFSRTS 2) strategy document.
The Government has set a target of 1 800 hectares of maize for this season to ensure national food and nutrition security.
