After successfully ‘commanding’ maize, wheat must be next . . .

Obert Chifamba  Agri-Insight
As the 2016 /17 farming season’s prospects for a bumper maize harvest fast metamorphosed into a reality, so did the nation’s dreams of becoming food self-sufficient.

And, yes, for a season whose conclusion could have gone either way thanks to the La Nina weather phenomenon, the successful maize story only served to whet the country’s appetite for more agricultural success.

All eyes are now trained on the winter wheat programme, which must also be a success story just like the maize one.

I guess if the “bread” part on Zimbabwe’s bread basket of Africa status was inspired by high wheat production in the first place, then that title, which had been elusive over the years could be on its way back if the monumental success recorded with maize could also be replicated on wheat.

Coming against a background of a summer season with lavish rainfall amounts, this year’s winter wheat programme should by all standards be a successful one, as most focus will be on how to tap into the vast water bodies that were left littering the farming communities at the end of the wet season.

Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) recently revealed that as of February 20, 2017 the country’s major dams had captured enough water to irrigate over 147 524 hectares of wheat, which to me is a positive sign that water woes may not be part of the challenges farmers will complain about this year.

Their challenge rather should be on how to harness that water into their fields but with the command agriculture programme also being extended to this precious cereal, I strongly believe Government will work out a way of helping out so that the dream to produce 200 000 tonnes this season comes true.

Zimbabwe needs an estimated 400 000 tonnes of wheat annually, so producing 200 000 tonnes would mean slashing its import bill by half.

Every year the country is spending around $100 million on flour imports and this has been happening from as far back as 2009.

The trend is just worrisome especially given the fact that we have proved beyond doubt as a country that we can produce a lot of the cereal.

It is interesting to note that at its peak the country managed to produce 342 000 tonnes of wheat in 1999 while in 1991 and 2001 the figure was at 325 000 tonnes apiece, which was quite phenomenal.

This year, Government intends to put 40 000ha under command wheat while there are also some private companies that will collectively contract 15 000ha.

At an average yield of four tonnes per hectare, the country can expect 220 000 tonnes from this year’s crop given that there are also some farmers that are producing the crop on their own, which is going to increase the hectarage and yields.

Command Agriculture in general is going to boost wheat production, which will reduce importation.

If raw materials are accessed locally, it will reduce costs and also boost production. This will also create employment throughout the value chain.

Countries such as Russia have produced maize and wheat through command farming with resounding success in the past so Zimbabwe can also do the same and deal with the problem of food shortages once and for all.

However, even with all things being equal, the programme can still fail to record monumental success if there is no serious commitment on the part of both Government and farmers.

I heard inputs for the programme were mobilised in time and registration of the farmers to be involved had also been done expeditiously so that set the stage for another fruitful season by all standards.

Government must play its part by making sure extension workers are readily available for service to the farmers since wheat is special crop that needs proper technical supervision.

Of course extension workers will say they face mobility problems, which is true but that should not be used as an alibi for a poor showing.

They can always make arrangements with farmers who in most cases are very willing to offer them transport to their fields.

At the moment, there is a clear and real threat to the programme that is silhouetted against the horizon- massive power cuts, which in essence will disrupt farmers’ irrigation schedules. I hope Government will act before this threat becomes a reality.

Unlike maize, wheat requires 100 percent irrigation and there is need for a fluent electricity supply so tampering with power of any kind will not only compromise yields but even the quality of the grain.

It will be highly unprofitable if farmers were to use generators to power irrigation equipment, so electricity, though not very reliable at the moment still remains the better option.

Besides benefiting the farmers, Command Agriculture for wheat will also see millers and stock feed manufacturers benefiting through the reduction of import costs.

From what I gather, even agro-processors are excited by Command Agriculture, as this will present them with a chance to get raw materials locally.

Government is planning to add soya beans to the Command Agriculture crop portfolio while there are also plans to start a Command Livestock Programme in the coming months with at least six countries making enquiries on how they can help Zimbabwe revive its livestock sector.

Countries interested in helping Zimbabwe with the resuscitation of its livestock sector include China, Russia, France, Poland and the Middle East.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made has even stressed that a number of initiatives that would be spearheaded by the Command Livestock Programme would see the recovery of the country’s livestock sector.

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