Source: More than 78 000 hectares put under wheat so far – herald
Zimpapers Correspondent
MORE than 78 000 hectares (ha) have been put under wheat so far this season, with the Government urging farmers to speed up planting before today’s deadline to safeguard yields and keep the country on course to meet its 125 000ha target for this year.
As of Thursday last week, farmers had planted 78 458ha, representing 63 percent of the national target, and above the hectarage that had been covered during the same period last year.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Professor Obert Jiri said the current pace of planting was encouraging, although more ground still needed to be covered within the remaining window.
“As we progress with our winter wheat planting season this year, we are way ahead of where we were in 2025. So far, we have planted 63 percent as of May 28, which is almost 78 458 hectares out of the 125 000 hectares that we are targeting this season,” said Prof Jiri.
“There is still a gap that must be breached within the next three days, and our planting should end by May 31 (today).”
He attributed some of the delays to slow drying conditions following the summer cropping season, saying lower temperatures had affected harvesting in some areas.
“We know that many farmers are still transitioning from summer to winter owing to slow drying because temperatures are low, but we know most of these farmers are now quickening their harvesting to ensure that they plant wheat within the remaining window,” he said.
Prof Jiri warned that late planting could negatively affect yields.
“We are encouraging farmers across the country to ensure that they plant wheat within the window so that we avoid low yields that come with later plantings,” he said.
Mashonaland West province is currently leading the planting programme after achieving about 62 percent of its target, followed by Mashonaland Central at nearly 60 percent, while Mashonaland East has reached around 50 percent.
“So far, we are seeing Mashonaland West leading after planting about 62 percent, Mashonaland Central is at almost 60 percent and Mashonaland East is at around 50 percent. We expect these provinces to quicken their planting so that we can catch up with our target for the winter season,” said Prof Jiri.
The strong pace of planting follows a successful 2025/2026 summer cropping season, which left most dams across the country with adequate water reserves to support irrigation.
“Following the good season that we had in the 2025/2026 summer season, our dams were left over 93 percent full, and most of the dams in Masvingo and Matabeleland South were actually full,” said Prof Jiri.
He, however, noted that a few dams, including Mazowe Dam in Mashonaland Central, remained below expected levels.
Irrigation is expected to remain central to winter wheat production this season, with the Government projecting that about 80 percent of the crop will be supported through irrigation water drawn from dams and irrigation schemes.
“Out of these dams, we expect 80 percent of our wheat to be fed from irrigation. Of these, irrigation schemes are expected to contribute about 19 000 hectares, while larger dams will irrigate at least 66 percent of our winter wheat this season,” he said.
Zimbabwe currently has more than 460 irrigation schemes, of which over 331 are functional and capable of contributing significantly towards national wheat output.
Despite the availability of water, planting under irrigation schemes has remained slow, with less than 2 000ha planted so far.
“Cropping has been slow in terms of winter wheat under irrigation schemes where we have cultivated just under 2 000 hectares to date. We expect these irrigation schemes to quicken planting because they already have guaranteed water supplies for wheat production,” Prof Jiri added.
The Government is now pushing for all functional irrigation schemes to transition into commercially viable production units under the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA)’s V30 Accelerator Model.
The model was designed to transform irrigation schemes into self-sustaining business entities capable of borrowing from financial institutions, entering into joint ventures and reinvesting profits into future production cycles.
“We expect all irrigation schemes to convert to the V30 Accelerator Model under the ARDA scheme. This means irrigation schemes must operate commercially and understand that they can borrow from banks or enter into joint venture arrangements with ARDA or other contractors.
“They must treat irrigation schemes as business units that are capable of borrowing, producing and repaying loans while reinvesting profits into future cropping cycles. Ideally, we want all the 331 functional irrigation schemes to immediately plant under the V30 Accelerator Model, access inputs and be able to repay after harvest.”
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