Lovemore Chikova Development Dialogue
The winter wheat target of 415 000 tonnes set by Government for this year is a good start for an aggressive agricultural driven economic trajectory that will result in food security.

To achieve the national food security, what is important is to ensure that the approach used in the winter wheat programme is applied to other crops like maize and traditional grains.

Zimbabwe has been mainly an agriculture-based economy, with other contributions from sectors like mining and tourism.

This means that once the agricultural sector does well, the country can realise a quick turnaround in economic fortunes, thus contributing to the attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030.

What is crucial about this winter wheat programme is that provinces have been given targets, which they are supposed to achieve as their contribution to the national goal.

Mashonaland Central will plant 18 000 hectares and produce 93 600 tonnes; Mashonaland West 35 000ha with a target of 182 000 tonnes; Mashonaland East 12 000 hectares with a 62 400 tonnes target; Manicaland 7 000 hectares and an expected 36 400 tonnes yield; Midlands 4 500ha and 23 400 tonnes; Masvingo 800ha and 4 160 tonnes.

Matabelaland South is expected to plant 700ha and produce 2 000 tonnes, while Matabeleland North will grow 2 000ha with an estimated harvest of 10 400 tonnes.

This will be achieved mainly under a contract farming deal financed by commercial banks to the tune of $2,7 billion, which Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who chairs the Cabinet Food Security and Nutrition Cluster, recently revealed aims at producing the 415 000 tonnes of wheat.

This follows a significant increase in the planted area from 24 186 hectares last year to 80 000 this year.

If eventually all the targeted hectares are put under the crop, it is envisaged that there will be a surplus of 15 000 tonnes of wheat, as the country requires approximately 400 000 tonnes annually.

The setting of targets for each province should be the way to go, especially considering that Government is pursuing the devolution development concept.

Under this concept, it is prudent that provincial officials start living up to the reality that they will be constantly asked on what they are contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In fact, there should be competition among the provinces, first on their GDP, and then on their contribution to the national economy.

This means the provinces should treat the wheat winter targets as form of competition, and a precursor to the new normal in which there will be questions on what projects they intent to undertake as part of the devolution concept.

But there are many reasons why this winter wheat programme should be pushed vigorously by both the Government and the private sector, especially on the back of the reality that the country imports about 70 to 75 percent of its wheat requirements.

Relying mostly on wheat imports come with its negative consequences, especially when lots of foreign currency is being spent on outside markets.

The foreign currency can be directed to other production sectors of the economy and help with the re-industrialisation process.

The price of bread, which bakers have been constantly increasing on the back of the costly wheat imports, is also set to be reduced when local wheat production is improved.

The provision of adequate flour locally helps assure bakers of the major ingredient of the production of bread.

To have adequate wheat production, there is need for a vigorous irrigation development programme that supports the winter wheat project.

It is time all farmers with irrigation machinery deploy it into farming wheat, as part of their contribution to the national target.

A number of farmers have in the past, ventured into winter wheat production, but these have been producing far less to meet the target enough to feed the nation.

This time around, the good news is that the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has since revealed that major dams in the country’s traditional winter wheat producing provinces of Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, Manicaland and Midlands have enough water for the winter wheat crop.

Manicaland has a dam level average of 61,2 percent, Mashonaland Central 79,1 percent, Mashonaland East 78 percent, Mashonaland West 73,8 percent, Masvingo 47,8 percent, Matabeleland North 44,6 percent, Matabeleland South 47,4 percent and Midlands 49,7 percent.

All this water should be harnessed towards one cause — that is the production of winter wheat.

Efforts should be directed towards increasing the number of farmers with irrigation facilities in the provinces to ensure that all the targets are easily achieved.

It takes even the setting up of small irrigation schemes, which do not require much resources, to ensure that the desired hectarage of the winter wheat is reached.

After going through this winter wheat season, the next step should be the encouragement of farmers to invest their profits in irrigation.

In fact, this winter wheat season should be a wake-up call for the adoption of irrigation across the board, as the futility of relying on rains is becoming exposed by each season due to droughts.

With the promotion of irrigation, Zimbabwe can easily achieve food security, and the wheat winter programme should be the start of the much anticipated turnaround in crop production.

It is time to revisit previous irrigation development blueprints so that their provisions are implemented to ensure a comprehensive approach to farming.

With droughts that have been visiting the country in the previous seasons, it is imperative for a major shift in the country’s approach to agriculture, and the winter wheat crop this season should be viewed as a test run.

From now on, irrigation should be the watch word for the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement to avoid situations where citizens end up looking up to Government for food relief.

The farming story can change for the better with the adoption of vibrant irrigation systems and water harvesting models to mitigate against perennial droughts being experienced in the country.

This makes the success of the wheat winter cropping this season a major indicator of where the country is likely to stand in terms of food security in the future.

The same equipment being used for irrigation for the winter wheat crop and the same interventions will be useful to take the country forward when applied to other crops.

Growing crops all-year round using the irrigation infrastructure will allow the country to move away from relying on the benevolence of the climate, which has proved unreliable in recent years.

This means that the provinces should take seriously the winter wheat target, as their success will point to a bright future for the whole agricultural sector.

It is clear that the future lies in irrigation cropping, and the more farmers wake up to this reality, the more prospects for a food secure Zimbabwe are enhanced.