THE Second Republic’s deliberate policies to transform the agriculture sector have achieved food security and put Zimbabwe on the world map as one of the best producers of wheat, maize, tobacco, and horticulture crops.
The latest tobacco output, which saw local farmers hit over 350 million kilogrammes for the first time, is record-breaking and historic for the country.
Wheat production is another case in point where farmers broke another record, producing over 600 000 metric tonnes for the first time, turning Zimbabwe into one of Africa’s top wheat producers, thanks to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s agriculture transformation policies.
“We are happy that, as ARDA, which has been mandated to drive the food security trajectory, we are doing well. We want to thank President Mnangagwa for his support recently, he released funds for ARDA to rehabilitate and upgrade our irrigation, and we have a new mandate to produce 850 000 metric tonnes of maize this summer season. As you are aware, we surpassed our wheat hectarage, an indication of another record-breaking wheat yield come harvesting time,” ARDA Board Chair, Ivan Craig said.
A Comprehensive Report released by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development last week ranked Zimbabwe as one of the top producers of blueberries and avocados, while dairy farmers recorded a 15 % increase in milk production.
“We are excited that we, the Second Republic, have set new unprecedented records in tobacco, wheat, and above all, horticulture, where our blueberries are ranked in the top five globally, while avocados are in the top 20 world rankings. This shows that Zimbabwe is on a recovery path to regain its world status as the breadbasket of Africa,” Permanent Secretary, in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri said.
The launch of the Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme by President Mnangagwa has also proved to be the game changer as the climate-proof concept is now considered the food security flagship after recording a 290 % increase in maize output to 2.3 million metric tonnes, up from just over 600 000 metric tonnes last year.
