Production and productivity returns, their role and importance

Dr John Basera
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development

The disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the geo-political developments in Eastern Europe have highlighted the importance of shorter local value chains, with local producers and food processors serving local markets.

It is now evident that the most sustainable pathway out of hunger, malnutrition, food insecurity and poverty is through increased production and productivity.

Zimbabwe’s game plan is slanded towards food self-sufficiency, food and nutrition security at all cost.

The country’s agricultural sector is past the inflection point towards accelerated production and productivity.

This is on account of the positive response by the sector to the governing frameworks underpinning the food and agriculture systems transformation.

To achieve and sustain the agricultural transformation which we all seek, it is prerequisite that there should be a mechanism to measure and track progress periodically and consistently.

The sector is indeed a Vision 2030 Accelerator as it is up to four times more effective in reducing poverty than any other sector.

Land and agriculture must therefore cause accelerated economic activity for the attainment of Vision 2030, leaving no person, no village, no ward, no community, no district and no province behind.

The ministry is seized with the promotion of the mighty 3 Ps of Agricultural Transformation Jigsaw: Production, Productivity and Profitability at farmhold level and across the value chain.

The land reform and distribution programme created over 360 000 A1 and over 21 000 A2 farmers. Since the year 2000 a number of strategic interventions under various programmes such as the Agricultural Rural Development 8.0, the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme, Climate Proofed Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) and many more provided a lifeline support to the resettled farmers, with the ultimate intention of transiting farmers from subsistence farming to farming for commerce.

This is a sure way of consolidating the gains of the land reform programme.

The Ministry has introduced a production and productivity return form to measure and track effectiveness of current and planned interventions.

The form is an indispensable tool that aid planning and tracking national targets for strategic value chains.

The system will unlock endless programming possibilities around import substitution, agricultural trade facilitation, funding and funding gaps, marketing arrangements, farmer capacitation, investor-farmer matching and land-based investments such as agroparks, dry and cold chain systems along farming zones.

Production and Productivity Return Form is expected to ease land permits and leases renewal processes. Farmers will input and complete farm data to allow for tracking and evaluation of progress on farm production.

These returns also help to check whether the farm is improving in terms of production, productivity or other farm improvements and investments.

Government considers furnishing of returns as an enabler in availing critical farm production information that is always required when processing requests for 99-year leases. As such, it will be easier to automatically trigger processing of 99-year lease requests by A2 farmers.

The process is more rigorous and robust to ensure that only qualifying farmers are recommended.

It is important to note that productive farms, underutilised farms and non-productive farms can be identified by this process. This will pave way for targeted interventions to be made in consultation with the farmer to ensure maximised land utilisation.

The forms should be submitted to the Ministry annually between February and March. Further, the new A2 permit conditions also compel all A2 farmers to religiously submit such returns, annually.

The form is obtainable from Ministry, Agriculture and Rural Development Advisory Service (ARDAS)/Agritex offices across the country, Ministry website, and Agricultural Marketing Authority website.