Zim ropes in tobacco farmers in wheat output drive

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU

Zimbabwe has roped in tobacco farmers as it targets to put 75,000 hectares under wheat and build adequate stocks amid supply constraints caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

The target is to grow 75,000 hectares under wheat this winter season which starts on April 1.

The bulk of Zimbabwe’s wheat supplies come from Eastern Europe due to the weather conditions conducive for the production of the best wheat in the world.

With the winter wheat season starting on April 1, the country is targeting 75,000 hectares under wheat production.  Of the hectarage, the government projects that tobacco farmers will put 20,000 hectares under wheat this year.

The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Anxious Masuka said  Zimbabwe was planning to increase wheat’s hectarage to 75,000  from above 60,000 last year.

“We want to expand the wheat hectarage to 75,000  where we want to attain self-sufficiency of 380,000 tonnes of wheat with  tobacco farmers  expected to put 20,000 hectares under wheat  with an estimated output of  100,000 tonnes,” Masuka said.

At a post Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services  minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe has sufficient fertilisers for winter wheat farming and efforts were being made to guarantee fertiliser supplies for the summer season.

“Pertaining to wheat, Cabinet reports that in order to increase the hectare under wheat as well as increase the output, tobacco farmers will be roped in to grow the crop. The transition to winter wheat by tobacco farmers is a welcome move and will go a long way in boosting supply of the cereal so that we have sufficient domestic stocks,” Mutsvangwa said.

“We have a Tobacco Working Group comprising all stakeholders which meets regularly to interrogate pertinent industry-wide issues. I hope I can appeal to this group and all farmers to assist the government in its quest for wheat self-sufficiency by ensuring that the 20,000ha grown to irrigated tobacco can be put to wheat. This could generate 100 000metric tonnes of wheat, which is 26% of national requirement.”

With farmers buoyed by last year’s stellar performance of an average of above five tonnes per hectare, the hectarage is expected to expand.

Masuka said they have committed to fund winter wheat for the private sector with farmers ramping up preparations.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Shadreck Makombe encouraged the agriculture ministry to quickly distribute driers to enable farmers with maize to harvest their crop early to prepare for winter wheat.

With an average of five tonnes per hectare, Zimbabwe is expected to reach over 380,000 tonnes of wheat this year.