The Sunday Mail
Tanyaradzwa Kutaura
Government has come up with a multi-pronged strategy which, among many other ambitious targets, is set to increase wheat production from the current 120 000 metric tonnes to 650 000 MT in the next three years.
Production of the cereal is forecast at 120 000 MT this year, but the country needs 400 000 MT to meet local demand.
Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Vangelis Peter Haritatos said part of the grand plan, which also includes increasing maize output, involves putting more land under irrigation and mechanising production.
“The issue of irrigation is non-negotiable. We have 10 000 dams in Zimbabwe and we have to utilise them. Right now, water levels are almost at 74 percent. Traditionally, it is usually at about 62 to 63 percent by this time of the year.
“Our water levels are 11 percent above average at this time of the year; so to enhance irrigation and ensure the country’s food security, we need to support every farmer who stays near a water body,” said the Deputy Minister.
“The beauty with irrigation is that hazvizotibatsira kuwheat chete (it will not only help in wheat production), the irrigation will help us kusoya futi (even in soya bean production).
“We consume 450 000 MT of soya every year, so irrigation will boost production for both wheat and soya,” he said.
Zimbabwe targets to regain its status as a breadbasket of the Southern African region in the next few years.
There are also plans to push the maize hectarage from the current 280 000 ha to 400 000 ha.
This will generate the much-needed foreign currency through exports.
“In the next two to three years, our target is to export at least one million tonnes of maize.
“In general, our yields were excellent this year. We had less rainfall than usual, which may have affected our yields slightly, but we have already surpassed the 1,2 million MT mark on maize,” said Honourable Haritatos.
Government also intends to mechanise agriculture.
Last week, local car dealer — Amtec — launched the Amtec Tractor and Machinery division, a tie-up between the company and a South African concern, Agrimec.
Agrimec will mainly specialise in the manufacture of tractors and accessories. This is expected to help accelerate the implementation of Government’s mechanisation plans.
Official statistics indicate that while the country requires at least 40 000 tractors to operate optimally, it presently has 10 000, of which 3 000 are non-functional.
Further, while the country can be better serviced by 500 combine harvesters, only 80 are functional, while 165 are non-functional.
Farmers say lack of equipment is adversely affecting agricultural preparations. For example, many wheat farmers find it difficult to transition from wheat farming to maize as lack of combine harvesters delay harvesting the cereal.
It is the same predicament for maize farmers as they struggle to dry their crop on time in order to concentrate on other farming activities.
Agriculture is the lifeblood of the local economy as it employs more than 70 percent of the local population and supplies 60 percent of the manufacturing sector’s raw materials. It also contributes 40 percent to the country’s total exports.
