US$25,5m grant to boost agric

Fungai Lupande and Precious Manomano

Africa Development Bank has availed US$25,5 million for agriculture in Zimbabwe which will be partially used to expand wheat production by 8 000 hectares this year, and showing that the re-engagement policy is working, and that Zimbabwe’s fiscal discipline and public financial management impresses those who can help. 

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, water and Rural Development permanent secretary Dr John Basera said between US$8 million to US$10 million of the grant will be channelled towards 8 000 hectares of wheat production this year. 

Speaking at a winter wheat pre-planting seminar in Glendale yesterday, Dr Basera said the development is the fruit of the re-engagement efforts by President Mnangagwa. 

The grant would support other programmes and it will be administered by Agriculture Finance Corporation. 

“The grant was a response to the Covid-19 pandemic and geo political tension in eastern Europe. Most African countries were challenged to look inward in terms of food production,” he said. 

“We are also working with the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, the Africa Development Bank and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.” 

Dr Basera said, this year the Government would upscale land use and the Presidential winter wheat programme would offer support to small scale farmers with access to irrigation facilities starting at 3ha each.

Those small scale farmers under irrigation schemes needed to approach the Grain Marketing Board through their extension officers to access the inputs. 

“Vision 2030 entails leaving no sub-sector of the agriculture sector behind. No category of farmers will be left behind including smallholder farmers,” he said.

“We want maximum and optimal land use which consolidate the gains of the land reform process and agriculture revolution number three. We want every inch which is under irrigation to be under wheat this year. This is why we are increasing our target under the Presidential scheme of 12 000 hectares last year to 20 000 hectares this year.” 

Zimbabwe and Ethiopia are two countries in Africa which are wheat and flour self-sufficient.

This is because in the last agriculture season farmers did it, said Dr Basera.

“Our total wheat output was 375 000 tonnes against an annual national wheat requirement of 360 000 tonnes. We managed to surpass the record of wheat production in previous years. The highest previous record was 325 000 tonnes. We need to repeat, achieve more and do better than last season. 

“This is our import substitution which puts a big saving on the hard-earned hard currency. This will put a positive signal on our trade balance sheet. We owe the success to partnerships.” 

This year the Government has a target of 85 000 hectares to achieve 408 000 tonnes yield. 

Farmers for Economic Development provincial chairperson Mrs Patience Tapomwa said it is possible to surpass last year’s targeted hectares and yield. 

She said pre-planting seminars helped farmers in planning the season and avails all the information a farmer might need. “It is of no use to plant a large hectarage when you don’t have the adequate inputs. We need maximum use of every inch of the land under irrigation,” she said.

“All the service provinces are available today and we had a chance to interact with them and get requisite information. Farming is a business and a farmer needs to sit down and draw their plan depending on the budget.

“We had good rains and our dams have sufficient water. We are hoping that we don’t get electricity challenges so that we get a higher yield this year.”

Mr Daniel Chinyemba, chairperson of the Mazowe Farmer Cluster said farmers face the same challenges across the country year in and year out. The seminar was an opportunity to air these challenges and find solutions together.

“The major challenge is disparity in the cost of production and selling prices. The pricing model must be reasonable to allow the farmer to go back into the field. “There are a lot of inconsistencies in the grading system and moisture content testing. We are aware that farmers need to produce quality wheat but it is shocking that the same harvest is graded differently.

“We want operationalisation of drying systems that were promised at GMB depots so that we don’t incur double costs and losses due to moisture content.”

Mr Chinyemba, who is a farmer at Danchi Farm, also said some contractors are varying the contract after harvest, taking advantage of farmers.

He added that the interest rate from the bank of 14 percent plus is high and should be reviewed to eight percent.

“We thank the Government for improving electricity supply and ring fencing electricity for farmers. However, the maintenance of power lines has gone to zero. It takes time for faults and thefts of transformers to be attended to,” he said.