We have prepared for winter wheat season

Professor Obert Jiri

THE 2023/2024 summer cropping season has been adversely affected by the El Niño-induced drought.

This has resulted in a lot of crop write-offs.

Despite climate-proofing our agriculture, the country still faces a higher possibility of total crop failure in some parts of the country.

However, it is encouraging to note that farmers who practised the Pfumvudza/Intwasa concept and closely followed its principles will be able to harvest and their families are food-secure.

The Government will tirelessly employ strategies to ensure that the much-needed maize grain and its substitutes are available.

Therefore, we have employed the following strategies to ensure no one dies of hunger: the Government will import grain for human consumption; we have allowed the private sector to import grain for other uses; and use wheat as a substitute cereal.

As a ministry, experiences from the 2023/2024 summer season have taught us that there is need to have drought mitigatory plans that should be implemented when such disasters strike.

Climate-smart farming models such as Pfumvudza should be implemented aggressively.

Farmers should be encouraged to grow crops that are suited to their agro-ecological regions (agro-ecological matching).

When an El Niño-induced drought has been predicted, farmers should be encouraged to grow drought-tolerant crops such as traditional grains and embark on water harvesting.

Pfumvudza plots should be permanent and there should be deliberate efforts by the Government to invest in irrigation rehabilitation and development.

The Government has put in place a plan for winter grain production.

At least 120 000 hectares (ha) will be put under wheat; 7 000ha under barley, 3 250ha under winter maize/sorghum and 6 750ha under Irish potato.

The ministry is confident that the general populace will not starve since we have enough in our Strategic Grain Reserve, and we are expecting a better harvest from our early planted crop.

We are expecting a total production of 533 163 tonnes to be harvested and this will only be confirmed after the second-round crop, livestock and fisheries assessment.

The report will be out by mid-April.

The Minister (of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka) announced that the revised target for winter wheat production now stands at 120 000ha.

A number of private players will be involved in making sure that the target is achieved.

The country has 137 000ha irrigable area available for winter cropping and farmers are expected to plant from May 1 to 31, 2024.

The ministry is working on modalities to improve on how the Presidential Input Scheme could be coordinated and implemented for greater success.

The following have been identified as key strategies to ensure maximum benefits are reaped from the scheme: identifying farmers with irrigation facilities; training, tracking and monitoring them throughout the season; agro-ecological matching; water harvesting technologies; and conservation agriculture.

The country has around 14 285 tractors with a capacity to cover more than one million hectares, hence timely land preparation is assured.

The Government also formed a special purpose vehicle under AFC Holdings, namely the AFC Leasing Company, for the provision of farm mechanisation services.

The company was capacitated with more than 600 tractors, which are accessible to all farmers in Zimbabwe.

It has also formed 22 cluster centres across all provinces within the reach of all farmers.

The Government also capacitated public institutions such as the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service, the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) and the Institute of Agricultural Engineering (IAE), among others, with more than 500 tractors, which are also accessible to any farmer in the country.

To add on to that, there are also various private players that are also involved in the provision of mechanisation services.

Farmers are encouraged to visit the ministry’s provincial offices for contact details of these private players.

There are more than 300 combine harvesters in the country with a capacity to harvest close to 200 000 hectares per season.

The Government made a deliberate move to capacitate the AFC Leasing Company with 56 combine harvesters for the purpose of providing harvesting services to all farmers.

Other institutions that were given combine harvesters include ARDA and IAE; and again, the machines are accessible to all farmers.

In addition, in the last two years, the Government also imported and distributed 107 combine harvesters.

Professor Obert Jiri is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development. He wrote this article for The Sunday Mail.