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Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
The Government’s planned 120 000 hectares of wheat this winter season is the country’s best foot forward to respond to a devastating El Nino drought that caused a 72 percent drop in grain harvest this past season.
This was said by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri yesterday at the Wheat Based Food Security: Zimbabwe’s Best Foot Forward Conference organised by Zimpapers in partnership with his ministry.
“The 2023/24 agricultural season was the worst drought experienced in 43 years, with food crops production dropping 77 percent compared to last season.
“Having climate-proofed our wheat production our best foot, to respond to the emotive season, is to ramp up its production this year,” he said.
Zimbabwe has a comparative and competitive advantage to plant wheat and the targeted 120 000 hectares can produce 600 000 tonnes of the produce at an average yield of five tonnes per hectare.
“The five-tonne per hectare average yield is a conservative figure as high yields of 11 tonnes can be produced if good agronomic practices are followed, as well as planting within the recommended window period.
“For (the) Lowveld, the window period is from May 1 to 10, with that for the Middleveld spanning from the beginning of May to mid-May, while the whole of May is the ideal time for the Highveld,” said Prof Jiri.
Having achieved wheat self-sufficiency and its twin goal of import substitution since 2022, the thrust of the Second Republic now is building wheat strategic grain reserves (SGR).
Prof Jiri said the country has to apply the biblical Joseph principle of storing excess produce under SGR in good years, starting with the predicted normal-to-above-normal La Nina 2024/25 season.
In lean seasons, the country can draw down from the reserves to ensure that there is food security, everywhere and every day, he said.
The country is going through a change in consumption preference from being maize-centric to embracing other wheat-based products like macaroni, pasta and spaghetti as well as rice.
“Let us continue to build more locally produced wheat in our SGR so that they out weigh that of maize after this winter season. We need to increase on wheat value addition to lower the US$40 million spent month on pasta, macaroni and rice imports.”
The Government turned challenges experienced in the past wheat seasons into enablers.
“100 megawatts (MW) of electricity have been ring-fenced for winter wheat so that there is no disturbance in irrigation scheduling. Irrigation water with capacity to do 140 000 hectares is available with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) doing seasonal as opposed to monthly billing,” he said.
Other enablers are enough seed, chemicals and fertiliser, availability of finance from Government and private sectors, coordinated monitoring and evaluation, mechanisation, insurance, joint ventures and migratory pest surveillance through use of seven drones.
Prof Jiri said: “We have introduced the local currency (ZiG) fuel to fund production requirements of 115 litres per hectare and this facility is available through the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) and Petrotrade.
“Grain Marketing Board (GMB) is clearing all outstanding wheat farmer payments having paid US$19,6 million in the past two weeks with the balance of about US$15 million due to be paid this week.”
In view of Government commitments, Prof Jiri called on all wheat growers to plant the crop for the pride of their country, saying this takes precedence over past challenges.
Zimpapers chief marketing officer, Mr Tapuwa Mandimutsira, who was representing group chief executive officer, Mr Pikirayi Deketeke, said there was need for stakeholders to work together to achieve the 120 000 hectares.
“”We have got a role to play in the sense that we inform and educate the nation. However, we cannot do it alone,” he said.
“We have to partner with various stakeholders, like the Ministry of Lands, SeedCo, National Foods, Zinwa, ZETDC, Expert Choice and many other companies in the agriculture sector.
“We strongly believe that once we start this partnership, we should be able to create what we so desire, getting to 120 000 hectares of wheat,” he said.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show that the value of unmilled durum wheat imports dropped 26 percent from US$34 million in the first quarter of 2023 to US$25 million in the comparable period this year.
This was all a result of increased local wheat production in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The Government announced an incentive planning price of US$440 per tonne for wheat and US$360 for maize and sorghum, with the Government assuring farmers of timeous payments for deliveries, as the Second Republic steps up efforts to prevent an El Nino-induced food deficit.
Online Reporter