Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Zimbabwe is stepping up efforts to reduce a US$2 billion agricultural import bill through local food and inputs production as the Government moves to strengthen domestic value chains and accelerate the transformation of the agriculture sector.
The localisation drive will take centre stage at the National Agriculture Conference and Expo (NACE) 2026, which will be held from September 24 to 25 in Harare.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development is convening the conference, in partnership with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) and Africa Economic Development Strategies (ADES).
Instead of focusing solely on increasing agricultural output, the conference is expected to place greater emphasis on keeping more value within the domestic economy through local production, processing and manufacturing.
This comes as the country is implementing the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy, which seeks to grow the agriculture sector into a US$15,8 billion economy by 2030.
The sector has already grown significantly under the first phase of the transformation strategy, with its value increasing from US$5,2 billion in 2019 to US$10,3 billion in 2024.
Despite the growth, Zimbabwe continues to rely heavily on imported agricultural inputs and selected food products, while local processing capacity remains inadequate in several key value chains.
Farmers are also exposed to climate-related shocks, including droughts associated with El Niño. At the same time, access to affordable and long-term capital remains a major constraint to investment in production and agro-processing.
“The localisation strategy therefore seeks to address the supply-side constraints that continue to drive imports, while creating opportunities for domestic producers, processors and manufacturers,” ADES said in a statement.
The two-day conference will bring together Government officials, financiers, development partners, agro – processors and farmer organisations to explore ways of unlocking investment and strengthening linkages across the agricultural economy.
One of the key areas of focus will be the operationalisation of the “Dam as an Economy” concept, which seeks to turn Zimbabwe’s major water bodies into productive economic centres.
Under the approach, dams would support integrated economic activities including irrigation, livestock production and cage fisheries, create multiple revenue streams while improving food production and rural livelihoods.
The conference will also feature the presentation and validation of the State of the Agriculture Sector and 2027 Outlook Report, prepared by ADES.
The report is expected to provide an assessment of the sector’s current performance and prospects while identifying emerging risks and investment opportunities.
