Published: 8 hours ago

Zimbabwe is building a strong national food reserve cushion, with Cabinet projecting a strategic grain surplus of between 550 945 tonnes and 964 945 tonnes following a strong agricultural season.

The projections are contained in the Second Round of the Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment Report, which Government says will help cushion the country against severe droughts and future emergencies.

Speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Jenfan Muswere said Cabinet had noted with satisfaction that the country's food security outlook remained positive.

Cabinet approved an update on the 2025-2026 Summer Crops Marketing and 2026 Winter Production Plan presented by Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka.

"Currently, Government stocks held at the Grain Marketing Board as at 6 May 2026 stand at 155 210 tonnes," said Dr Muswere.

The stocks comprise 36 593 tonnes of maize, 1 614 tonnes of white sorghum, 13 187 tonnes of red sorghum, 1 074 tonnes of pearl millet, 1 195 tonnes of rapoko and 102 740 tonnes of wheat reserved for the strategic grain reserve.

Dr Muswere added that the GMB was also holding 62 165 tonnes of third-party grain stocks on behalf of private off-take companies.

Government also reported progress in settling payments owed to farmers, with more than 95 percent of obligations for grain purchases already cleared as of Monday.

Regarding the 2025-2026 summer crop marketing season, a total of 41 584 tonnes of maize, soyabean, sorghum and sunflower had been formally marketed compared to 21 610 tonnes during the same period last year.

"It is noteworthy that GMB holds 7,64 percent of the intake, compared to 3,81 percent in 2025," said Dr Muswere.

He said the GMB would aggregate grain through 1 804 collection points and 89 depots while also introducing in-transit grain storage facilities to strengthen grain imports and supply chains.

Government figures show that 1 418 704 tonnes of grain, oilseeds and tobacco had been harvested across the country, with Mashonaland West accounting for 41 percent of total output.

Manicaland recorded 195 200 tonnes of harvested produce, while Masvingo led sorghum production with 58 995 tonnes out of a national total of 226 302 tonnes.

Zimbabwe also harvested 70 733 tonnes of soyabean, with Mashonaland West contributing the highest volume at 42 372 tonnes.

On tobacco production, Dr Muswere said 203,88 million kilogrammes had been sold by day 42 of the marketing season at an average price of US$2,59 per kilogramme.

"This represents a 35 percent increase in volume and a 24 percent decline in average price compared to the same period in 2025," he said.

Government also said plans were underway to revive cotton production through a value-chain approach supported by the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe corporate rescue programme.

For winter cereals, the Government has targeted 125 000 hectares under wheat, with 23 595 hectares already planted - 54,6 percent above the area planted during the same period last year.

Cabinet further noted that recurring El Nino events continue to negatively affect crops, livestock and water resources.

To strengthen resilience, Government said it was implementing climate adaptation measures including expansion of irrigation, climate-smart agriculture, improved early warning systems, farmer education programmes and the deployment of artificial intelligence-powered silos to manage strategic grain reserves.
- The Herald