Online Reporter
Martin Kadzere
Zimbabwe is poised to reduce its wheat import bill following the launch of new, “high-quality” wheat varieties by a leading local seed company, Valley Seeds.
The varieties — Zambezi and Limpopo — produce top-grade flour and are expected to reduce the need for blending with imported wheat, a process currently used by the country’s baking industry. This development is a major step towards food self-sufficiency and is in line with the Government’s efforts to boost local agricultural production.
Historically, local wheat, while high-yielding, often lacked the specific gluten quality required for baking, necessitating the importation of hard wheat for blending.
According to Valley Seeds, this new breakthrough will help bypass that requirement, saving the country foreign currency.
During a tour of the 460-hectare wheat crop at DCK Farms in Kwekwe, farm manager Mr Duncan Magaya shared impressive results from the current winter harvest. The tour was part of the official launch of the two new wheat varieties at the farm, which is owned by prominent farmer and businessman Mr Douglas Kwande.
Mr Magaya said that yields are currently averaging 6,5 to seven tonnes per hectare, but emphasised that these yields were not from the farm’s best soils, suggesting they could be even higher.
“We have room for improvement, and these new varieties are proving to be effective. This is the first season we’ve planted them, but you can see from the yields that this is the way to go,” Mr Magaya stated. “We got our inputs through the CBZ Agro-yield and we hope to increase our hectarage next season.”
“There is massive potential and these new varieties are proving to be the solution for yield and quality maximisation.”
Mr Magaya also said the new wheat varieties offer a more cost-effective solution for farmers, as they mature earlier — reducing irrigation costs — and are more resistant to pests than existing varieties.
Ms Mukai Shoko, the Agritex Kwekwe district agronomist, encouraged farmers to adopt the new varieties. She highlighted the success of DCK Farms and praised its proactive approach, noting that early planting efforts were a key factor in their impressive harvest.
“Mr Kwande is one of our big commercial farmers in the Kwekwe district. You can see the crop is good,” Ms Shoko said. “He is averaging about 6,5 to seven tonnes per hectare, while the break-even yield for wheat is around four tonnes. He is doing well.”
Ms Shoko also mentioned the Kwekwe district has reached its target of about 10 000 hectares of planted wheat.
Mr Tinashe Bvukumbwe, Valley Seeds’ chief agronomist, elaborated on the benefits of the new wheat varieties, noting that they are non-genetically modified organisms (non-GMOs) and are designed to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.
“These varieties are not GMOs and they are ideal for adapting to the phenomena posed by climate change,” Mr Bvukumbwe said. “I also encourage farmers to move hand-in-hand with technology while also making sure that they plant early. We are confident that these new varieties will do well and you can see from what is happening here at DCK Farms.”
Valley Seeds’ commercial director, Mr Tich Maponga, added that the new high-quality wheat varieties offer a significant opportunity for farmers in Zimbabwe to boost their productivity and profitability. He noted that the key to achieving this was the good quality of the varieties themselves.
By providing farmers with superior seeds specifically bred for local conditions, the company aims to help them achieve higher yields and a better return on investment.
Mr Maponga said the new varieties were a critical part of the country’s broader strategy for import substitution.
By promoting the use of these high-performing local varieties, Zimbabwe can reduce its reliance on imported wheat, which has long been a drain on the country’s foreign currency reserves.
