Online Reporter
Joseph Madzimure
Zimpapers Politics Hub
The Government has enough in the Strategic Grain Reserve to feed the nation up to the next harvesting.
Through employing progressive and practical interventions, the Government is committed to ensuring that the nation sustains its national food security status.
President Mnangagwa is on record saying no one and no place will be left food-insecure. The Government has put mitigatory measures in place to avert food shortages by ensuring food security at the household level for vulnerable families across the country until the next harvest.
In the 2023-2024 farming season, Zimbabwe and Southern Africa experienced El Nino weather conditions, which were characterised by low rainfall and extremely high temperatures.
Due to the El-Nino weather conditions, farmers across the country watched their crops wilted due to extended dry periods.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said Cabinet received and noted an update on the food security outlook to March 2025 and the 2024/2025 Summer Season Plan, as presented by the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka.
Currently, Minister Muswere said, the existing total stock in the Strategic Grain Reserve, comprising wheat, maize and traditional grains amounts to 245 052 metric tonnes.
“The projected consumption through the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, Zunde RaMambo and the School Feeding Programme for the period December 2024 to March 2025 is 241 089 tonnes.
“The private sector will continue to import for commercial purposes and stock feed.
“A record 563 961 metric tonnes of wheat had been harvested to date, surpassing the 465 548 metric tonnes achieved in 2023. Regarding stock feed, trucks from Grain Marketing Board have distributed 9 665 metric tonnes,” said Dr Muswere.
He said the establishment of Ward Drought Mitigation Centres has recorded 43 percent of the targeted 1 035 wards. The 2024/2023 Summer Season Plan aims to increase production of cereals to 3 274 200 tonnes against the 744 271, achieved during the 2023/2024 summer season.
The overall production volumes of major crops are expected to increase by 347 per cent from 915 000 tonnes to over 4 million tonnes. The production target for cereals is 3,3 million tonnes, while that for pulses is 819 500 tonnes.
To date, over 746 238 hectares of maize have been planted under various support programmes, being 41.5 percent of the target. Under the Presidential Input Schemes, 117 per cent of the targeted 9 million plots have been prepared by 116 per cent of the targeted 3 million rural households.
Regarding the current dry spell, Dr Muswere said agronomic advisory from AGRITEX should guide farmers at the local level.
A prediction by the Meteorological Services Department of normal to above-normal rainfall is still expected to be occur.
