Another historic wheat harvest

Zimbabwe has already surpassed the 375 000 metric tons of winter that it harvested last year and is set to achieve the target of 440 000 metric tons that it set for this year, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka said this on Monday when he received a batch of 50 computer from his Information, Communication and Technology, Postal and Courier Services counterpart, Tatenda Mavetera.

He said the milestone comes amid growing fears that some of the wheat crop might be affected by the impending rains with recent falls turning out to be violent storms.

“A total number of 423 000 metric tons of wheat have been harvested, surpassing the 375 000 metric tons that was harvested last year and we are near the target of 440 000 metric tons,” he said.

Dr Masuka said about 90 percent of the winter wheat has been harvested so far, with the process expected to be completed next week.

He applauded the ICT Ministry for its contribution to the agriculture sector with the 50 laptops bringing the total donated so far to 1 050.

The Ministry however requires about 7 000 laptops for its business advisors to work proficiently with the integration of the ICT and agriculture expected to revolutionise farming practices in Zimbabwe, he said.

Smart irrigation, data driven decisions and agricultural data analysis are some of the improvements that ICT is bringing into the agricultural sector, Dr Masuka said.

Zimbabwe is one of two African countries, together with Ethiopia, which are wheat self-sufficient and has been food secure on cereals for the past four seasons after the Government took deliberate steps to ramp up agricultural production.

Wheat production in Zimbabwe has increased remarkably on the back of revamped irrigation schemes and mechanisation, with farming implements brought into the country duty free as the Government ensured the sector regained its position as a vital cog of the national economy.

At least 70 percent of the Zimbabwean population depend on agriculture for employment and livelihoods, with the sector contributing between 40 and 50 percent of total export revenues. — New Ziana