Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
ZIMBABWE will not face food shortages as strengthened grain production across the country pushes national output above 2,8 million tonnes of maize, while sorghum and soyabean production have also shown steady gains ahead of the predicted super El Niño-induced summer cropping season.
This was said by Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri in an interview recently.
El Niño events are associated with disrupted rainfall patterns that often reduce agricultural output and heighten food insecurity risks in vulnerable countries.
However, Government says it has put in place climate-adaptive production systems designed to cushion the country against such shocks.
Prof Jiri said the country’s multi-season production strategy — anchored on maize, traditional grains and wheat — was ensuring continuous inflows into the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR), even under looming El Niño conditions.
“No one will die of hunger. It means that we need to be able to get food from somewhere and everywhere we can,” said Prof Jiri.
Official figures show maize production rising to 2 813 036 tonnes, supported by a national planted area of 1,96 million hectares and an average yield of 1,5 tonnes per hectare.
Mashonaland West remains the country’s largest contributor, producing 1 145 878 tonnes, followed by Mashonaland Central with 583 337 tonnes and Mashonaland East with 251 247 tonnes.
Midlands contributed 221 431 tonnes, while Manicaland and Masvingo produced 239 730 tonnes and 176 389 tonnes respectively.
Matabeleland North and South added 111 437 tonnes and 83 587 tonnes.
Prof Jiri said Government expects to deliver about 150 000 tonnes of wheat into the SGR by October, as local production continues to stabilise under irrigation-supported winter cropping programmes.
He said this would be complemented by summer season harvests, which are projected to contribute more than one million tonnes of grain, largely from maize and traditional grains.
“This summer season will also deliver more than a million tonnes of grain from traditional grains and maize because we have done our summer plan around agro-ecological tailoring and the traditional grains thrust,” he said.
Beyond maize, Ministry data shows sorghum production rising to 322 087 tonnes nationally, supported by improved harvest rates of 93 percent in 2026.
Masvingo led production at 80 824 tonnes, followed by Mashonaland Central with 53 673 tonnes and Manicaland with 39 610 tonnes, reflecting increased reliance on drought-tolerant crops in climate-stressed regions.
Soyabean output also increased to 119 067 tonnes, with Mashonaland West dominating at 62 988 tonnes, followed by Mashonaland Central at 48 486 tonnes, underscoring growing diversification in the country’s crop mix.
Prof Jiri said the combined production system — spanning maize, small grains and oilseeds — was central to Government’s food security planning, particularly as the country prepares for climate variability linked to El Niño.
Government’s target is to secure at least 450 000 tonnes of grain in the SGR through successive production cycles, including 150 000 tonnes from winter wheat, 150 000 tonnes from summer production, and another 150 000 tonnes from the upcoming cycle.
“The rest, of course, our millers have been mobilised and they will be able to meet milling requirements and also the feed requirements for the livestock sector,” he said.
Government is also expanding agro-ecological tailoring and promoting traditional grains to reduce climate risk exposure and stabilise yields in marginal rainfall areas.
Prof Jiri said authorities are continuously guiding farmers on what to plant, where and how, as part of a broader climate adaptation strategy aimed at safeguarding national food security.
“We are ready for the El Niño that is coming and we are planning certainly for it,” he said.
