Statistics of the Zimbabwean government, so far this year, wheat growers across Zimbabwe have delivered 150,000 tons of wheat to the country’s grain marketing committee, and a total of 250,000 tons of wheat are expected to be delivered by the end of this quarter.
Anxis Masuka, Minister of Land, Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Resettlement of the Government of Zimbabwe, said recently that winter wheat cultivation in the country this year performed well compared with previous years.
Masuka said that Zimbabwe’s highest annual wheat production since the implementation of the land reform plan in 2000 is about 164,000 tons, and reached 9000 tons last year.
With 1900,000 tons delivered to the Grain Marketing Commission so far this year, Zimbabwe has exceeded its record high this year and is expected to achieve higher production. Masuka pointed out that Zimbabwe is slowly returning to production, which is a clear indication that the land reform plan is beginning to bear fruit.
After Zimbabwe’s land reform in 2000, wheat delivery has plummeted for several years, but production has been increasing in recent years due to the increasing government’s support for farmers.
According to incomplete statistics, Zimbabwe needs at least 400,000 tons of wheat every year to meet its own needs, and years of low wheat production has forced the country to rely on imports to maintain it.
It is expected that a total of 250,000 tons of wheat delivered to the Grain Marketing Committee will meet Zimbabwe’s nine-month supply needs and save the country at least $100 million in import costs.
