Winter irrigation expansion to reduce grain deficit
By Delicious Mathuthu
Zimbabwe’s plans to expand support to winter irrigation projects are expected to boost the country’s dwindling grain reserves amid the 2023/24 summer cropping season El Nino-induced drought effects.
The country experienced low rainfall leading to most crops failing and the Zimbabwean government is shifting focus to expand support to winter wheat and maize irrigation projects to reduce the current grain deficit.
Addressing Zimbabweans recently, announcing his declaration of a national state of disaster on national grain reserves following the drought, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said his administration is now mobilising and re-directing resources towards ensuring there is national food security in the country.
On wheat, he said all arable land with secure water sources should be utilised as the nation tries to cover part of the looming grain crisis by shifting to wheat-based foods.
“…the winter crop programme for 2024 now assumes added importance and urgency,” he said.
“The shift to wheat-based food security means the land we put under wheat from this month (April) must expand to cover all available irrigable land with secure water sources,” said President Mnangagwa.
Government is also focusing on the revival of winter maize projects.
“Equally, winter maize projects in areas such as Chiredzi, Muzarabani and Binga, must be reactivated towards drought mitigation,” he said.
Zimbabwe has been recording access winter wheat harvests for the past few seasons through Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Ministry’s aggressive resource mobilisation and support to farmers, targeting export markets in the continent.
President Mnangagwa said available wheat from last year’s harvest, about 138 900 metric tonnes, have been allocated to the country’s strategic grain reserves.
The expected expansion is targeting over a 100 000 hectares as last year over 85 000 hectares were put under winter wheat alone.
Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa said government’s agriculture mechanisation and modernisation programme is continuing until most small-holder
farmers’ operations are upgraded.
