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Economists have suggested that it would make more sense to use the irrigation capacity and water as supplementary irrigation in dry summer spells to ensure larger harvests of export crops like tobacco and ensure there are no failures in the maize crop.
Agricultural economist Mr Midway Bhunu said it was more profitable to concentrate on something that gives corporate advantage in terms of production.
He said wheat had always been a complex crop for the country with the situation worsening in 2008 due to economic hardships.
“To address the issue of wheat, we should look at the whole value chain. Imports may seem cheap but we get low quality produce and they also burden the already burdened Government.”
Mr Bhunu said water and electricity had always been the major causes of the drop in wheat production.
“Other countries have alternative sources of energy. We should consider looking at renewable sources of energy to reduce costs.
“Government should concentrate on research and development of wheat varieties that can give high yields under the country’s climatic conditions,” he said.
The cost of importing a tonne of wheat is $530, while it takes a local farmer $540 to produce the same tonne.
This has seen millers preferring to import, instead of relying on the local crop that has become expensive to produce.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe national chairman Mr Tafadzwa Musarara echoed similar sentiments.
“Producing locally is not viable and has not been viable even for other crops, but we cannot rely on imports 100 percent. We will not get anywhere with the imports. In the long run, you will realise that it is better to produce our own food.”
Mr Musarara said millers at one time contracted farmers, but abandoned the programme due to high risk.
“Some of the farmers failed to achieve expected yields due to several reasons while others side marketed to avoid paying back loans so we realised it was much cheaper to import,” he said.
However, acting Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Ignatius Chombo said importing wheat from neighbouring countries was not the solution.
Minister Chombo said production could improve if Government invested in agriculture.
“Importing is not the solution. It may appear cheap at first, but in the long run it is expensive. Why should we support farmers in other countries instead of paying our own farmers? We are keeping South African companies in business when ours remain dormant and docile.
“What will happen if we go to war with these countries we are importing from? We need to produce our own food and this will only be possible if we fund our agriculture,” he said.
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union second vice president Mr Berean Mukwende said wheat had always been grown as part of Government policy to boost food security.
“In other parts of the world, wheat is produced as a summer crop while in Zimbabwe it has to be irrigated and produced in winter to escape the problem of rust,” said Mr Mukwende.
“This makes it more expensive to produce the crop than to import it.”
It costs between US$700 and US$800 to irrigate a hectare of the crop, which makes it difficult for farmers to break even after marketing the crop.
Online Reporter