THE Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s Business Development Markets and Trade Department is drafting a five‑year strategic plan to map out a long‑term growth trajectory for the agribusiness industry.
The agribusiness industry is crucial as it drives the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provides employment for a significant chunk of the population.
This has seen the Government undertake reforms to reduce bureaucracy and fees to boost investment across the agriculture sector.
Agriculture is crucial to Zimbabwe’s economy, providing a source of livelihood for approximately 70 percent of the population, supplying over 60 percent of the raw materials for industry, and contributing to a significant portion of the country’s export earnings.
While its direct contribution to gross domestic product has varied, with recent figures around 11-19 percent, its importance is undeniable due to its role in employment, food security, and as a supplier of industrial inputs.
Major crops in Zimbabwe include tobacco, maize, and sugarcane, but more opportunities exist in horticulture, agro-processing, livestock and irrigation services and precision agriculture.
The ministry’s Business Development Markets and Trade Department chief director, Mr Clement Taderera Bwenje, said a bold re‑orientation of Zimbabwe’s agribusiness landscape was critical.
“The department’s core mandate is to grow businesses, farmers, private players and the ministry’s departments by ensuring that every link in the value chain turns to profit.
“Our role is to create an environment for farmers to make money, allow the private sector to make money, allow the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to be able to deliver service in a well-functioning market,” he said.
He said the department was now laser‑focused on reshaping commodity marketing by instituting formal, standards‑driven markets with consistency in quality and supply.
Mr Bwenje said investment promotion and resource mobilisation were critical, given the scarcity of Government funds and this aligned with the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 (NDS1 & NDS2).
“Looking ahead, the department is drafting a five‑year strategic plan, a first since its inception, to chart long‑term growth.
“Key outcomes include a roadmap for resource mobilisation, improved market access for agro‑commodities and the development of concrete outputs as well as deliverables.
“The aim is to transform Zimbabwe’s food system into a resilient and market‑driven engine for national prosperity,” he added.
Meanwhile, Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) chief director, Mrs Medlinah Magwenzi, said smallholder farmers are the undisputed backbone of Zimbabwe’s food security, contributing up to 70 percent of the national output.
“The Government has a strong commitment to this sector. For the past five years, the Government has consistently supported an impressive three million smallholder farmers through the transformative Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme. This flagship initiative has fundamentally changed the landscape of rural productivity, hence national food security,” she said.
She said Pfumvudza/Intwasa was more than just an input scheme; it was a fundamental way of farming, a climate-smart blueprint for sustainable productivity and those who embraced the concept were now moving beyond reliance on free handouts of food.
Mrs Magwenzi said some of the farmers were now independently buying their own inputs, fencing their land and acquiring personal assets, turning the need for free support into a long forgotten story and demonstrating genuine self-sufficiency.
“To ensure long-term resilience, the Government is cementing these gains by focusing on key enablers. These include providing commercialised conservation agriculture (CA) tillage and mechanisation services,” she added.
“Crucially, addressing climate change, the Government is making water availability a top priority through the resuscitation of water bodies like boreholes, weirs and dams. By combining this with agro-ecological region tailoring, it ensures farmers plant crops optimally suited to their areas.”
She affirmed that Zimbabwean farmers were well-equipped to thrive and continue improving their livelihoods.-herald
