Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter
Volumes of livestock, dairy, and horticultural products continue to grow as the Government’s initiative to accelerate climate-proofing agriculture at household and national levels, through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa initiative, bears fruit, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Zhemu Soda has said.
Addressing a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday, the minister stated that Cabinet received an update on the First Round of the Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment Report, presented by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka.
“The survey was conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency and adopted a Whole-of-Government Approach. The area cultivated under staple cereals, including maize and traditional grains, expanded from the targeted 2 427 000 hectares to 2 488 449 hectares during the 2025/2026 agricultural season. Horticultural crops such as mango increased by 17 percent, avocado by 11 percent, blueberries by 11 percent, oranges by 10 percent, and pecan nuts by 10 percent,” said Dr Soda.
“Regarding livestock, the national beef cattle herd grew marginally by 0,3 percent, from 5 741 397 in 2024 to 5 760 678 in 2025, while the dairy herd increased by 7,5 per cent, from 65 659 in 2024 to 70 584 in 2025. This growth contributed to a 6,2 per cent rise in commercial raw milk production, from 114 699 440 litres in 2024 to 121 846 916 litres in 2025. Household milk production from dairy cattle was estimated at 33 100 927 litres, resulting in total milk production of approximately 154 947 843 litres.”
He stated that based on these preliminary findings from the First Round Crop, Livestock, and Fisheries Assessment Report, Cabinet had made some key decisions.
“Government will accelerate climate-proofing agriculture at both household and national levels through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa initiative. The Government will intensify the development of irrigation infrastructure by encouraging increased private sector participation to expand the functional irrigation areas,” said Dr Soda.
“Agro-ecological tailoring of crop production, along with soil health and fertility management, will be maintained through enhanced agricultural information management systems. Community engagement and participation in building the Strategic Grain Reserve will be strengthened, and the Rural Development 8.0 interventions will be accelerated to empower local communities.”
Dr Soda indicated that Cabinet received and approved the Zimbabwe Public Private Partnership Guidelines as presented by Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube.
“The Government of Zimbabwe continues to fine-tune the existing PPP framework aimed at leveraging capital and expertise for all infrastructure projects across the country. In that regard, the Government has developed new guidelines to be followed by the Government and the private sector during the entire PPP life cycle, encompassing project identification, approval, development, appraisal, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and termination of PPPs,” said Dr Soda.
“In addition to providing a structured framework to attract private investment and partnerships into essential sectors such as transport, energy, and water, the mandatory guidelines will serve as an important reference tool for all stakeholders in the implementation of PPPs in Zimbabwe.”
The guidelines would complement the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency Act in enforcing policy compliance, ultimately ensuring that the Government realised value for money through the inclusion of revenue-sharing arrangements in joint ventures.
“The guidelines outline financial, technical, and operational risks to be shared between the Government and private partners, ensuring that risks are borne by the party best able to manage them. Under the PPP guidelines, the Government is entitled to a minimum shareholding of 30 per cent in the project joint venture or special purpose vehicle, with an option of increasing shareholding.
“Other critical elements of the PPP guidelines include thresholds for PPP projects, classification of PPP projects, governance and institutional frameworks for PPPs, processing of PPP projects, and the PPP cycle.”
Responding to media inquiries, Professor Ncube stated that the minimum 30 per cent equity for the Government was the optimum percentage to meet the material and significant threshold that would enable the State to contribute meaningfully to a project.
“It will help the Government contribute meaningfully to the governance and strategic direction of the project. It is sufficient to protect the interests of the Government and its citizens,” said Professor Ncube.
