Zimbabwe boosts efforts to improve wheat quality, productivity

BUILDING on the momentum of achieving wheat self-sufficiency through local production in 2022, Zimbabwe has set its sights on enhancing the quality and productivity of the cereal, as it targets to put 120 000 hectares under the staple grain this year.

The country requires 360 000 tonnes of wheat per year to be self-sufficient.

Zimbabwe’s wheat production has gone above the self-sufficiency level with over 375 000 tonnes in 2022 and 467 905 in the following year, then 563 961 last year. Surplus production rose from over 5 000 tonnes in 2022 to the current 203 961.

The average wheat yield has increased 31 percent from 3,61 tonnes per hectare in 2017 to 4,72 last year.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Vangelis Haritatos, said that as the research for alternative hard wheat varieties intensifies, the country must continue to increase production of quality wheat and productivity.

Dep Min Haritatos said some millers had since confirmed that locally grown wheat was producing top-quality flour.

The Government’s focus is on reducing input costs and adherence to good agronomic practices (GAPs), which will ensure that top quality soft wheat with high protein, wet gluten and dry gluten is produced.

“Cabinet has directed us to look into strengthening the wheat value chain and we have already started this process by setting up a joint committee comprising members from the three ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Industry,” the Dep Min said.

Hard wheat has a higher protein content and gluten strength than soft wheat, making it better for bread making, while soft wheat performs better in products like cakes and pastries.

The Dep Min said the country had a comparative advantage in growing soft wheat and would continue to support this programme in the long run.

He said while it would be a noble cause to introduce hard wheat durum varieties, now it typically comes with lower yields and so the economics of it in the long run has to be assessed.

The country has been producing soft wheat since it started producing the cereal in the 1960s.

Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (Ardas) acting chief director, Mr Leonard Munamati, said the Government had set a target of 600 000 tonnes of wheat this season, which is going to be achieved through increasing the area under wheat to 120 000 hectares and improving productivity from 4,7 tonnes per hectare to 5t/ha.-heral