Agriculture Reporter
Farmers have harvested 337 212 tonnes of wheat from 66 436 hectares planted during the winter cropping season, taking Zimbabwe ever so close to the national annual wheat requirement of 400 000 tonnes which ensures uninterrupted availability of bread and other confectioneries.

The Grain Marketing Board has already paid farmers over $12 billion for the 203 546 tonnes of wheat delivered to its depots.

About 66 000 hectares were put under wheat during the 2021 winter wheat season, making it the third highest hectarage since Independence.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Director for Agritex, Mr Stancilae Tapererwa, revealed in his weekly update that the bulk of the wheat was produced under the National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS), commonly known as Command Agriculture.

NEPS was this year funded by the CBZ Agro-Yield.

Under NEAPS, 44 295 hectares were put under wheat and it produced 234 325 tonnes of wheat.

The private sector funded 16 662 hectares, with 89 099 tonnes being harvested, while farmers planted 5 477 hectares and produced 13 7690 tonnes.

Mashonaland West produced the bulk of the wheat after harvesting 100 913 tonnes, Mashonaland Central 84 101 tonnes and Mashonaland East 50 367 tonnes.

Manicaland produced 49 111 tonnes, Midlands 34 497 tonnes, Masvingo 6 920 tonnes, Matabeleland North 4 391 tonnes and Matabeleland South 6 912 tonnes.

GMB chief executive, Mr Rockie Mutenha, said GMB had paid farmers $12,2 billion for wheat deliveries.

“We have received 203 546 tonnes of wheat values at $12,5 billion. We have paid farmers $12,2 billion for the deliveries,” he said.

The bulk of the wheat being delivered is premium grade.

Government has been targeting to increase wheat production to meet the national requirement in line with the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, the Agriculture Recovery Plan and the National Development Strategy 1 and in pursuit of the vision of becoming an empowered and prosperous upper middle income society by 2030.

Having adequate wheat stocks will also ensure that Zimbabwe will not require foreign currency to import wheat, resulting in the forex being channelled to other activities.

After last year’s major jump in the harvest, another year of gain should see Zimbabwe achieving self-sufficiency for the first time ever.

Last season, farmers produced wheat enough to take the country for nine months and this season.

During the 2021 winter cropping season, 66 435,86 hectares were put under wheat, registering the third highest hectarage since Independence and is only surpassed by plantings in 2004 (70 585ha) and 2005 (67 261ha).