people out of 9.2 million in rural areas, while 1.7 million in urban
areas are benefiting from an Urban Cash Transfer Programme after the
country was hit by an El-Nino induced drought that badly affected the
2023/2024 cropping season.
“Current stocks of maize, wheat and traditional grains in the Strategic
Grain Reserve stand at 228 712 metric tonnes, which is sufficient to
last till January 2025,” Information, Publicity and Broadcasting
Services Minister, Dr DJenfan Muswere told the media on Tuesday during a
post cabinet meeting briefing in Harare.
“A total of 372 000 metric tons of grain is required to feed the rural
people in need to March 2025 at 7.5 kilograms per person per month,
while primary school learners will require 55 408 metric tons to April
2025 under the Schools Feeding Programme. The shortfall of 199 432.54
metric tonnes will be met from the projected 240 000 metric tons winter
wheat harvest surplus on annual requirements, and government grain
imports.”
Dr Muswere’s brief followed an update that Cabinet received on the
2023/2024 Summer Crops Marketing, Food Security Outlook to March 2025
and 2024 Winter Crops Production from the Minister of Lands,
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka.
He said 237 710mt of grains and oilseeds from the 2023/2024 summer
season had been marketed with 48 334mt delivered to the Grain Marketing
(GMB) with the government putting in place measures to ensure that
farmers are promptly paid.
The marketed grain comprised 130 244mt of maize, 28 748mt soyabeans, 8
156mt sorghum, 1 259mt sunflower, 51 299mt wheat and 18 004mt of barley.
Dr Muswere said 185 132mt of grain were dispatched for social welfare
distribution between February and October this year while only 13 711mt
of the expected 27 531mt of maize-meal meant for schools was collected
by the schools.
To expedite collection of schools rations, he said the government will
provide the required resources for milling, packaging and the logistics
to move stocks to district GMB collection points which are closer to the
schools.
Related to this, the GMB is now operating 50 agro-shops mostly in rural
areas as part of price stabilisation efforts and enhancing the provision
of affordable mealie-meal.
The private sector, which is expected to import all urban and stockfeed
requirements to March 2025 has imported a total of 812 165 metric tonnes
of grain since April 2024 said the Minister adding that the government
has issued 807 import permits to 420 companies to import 4 131 260mt of
maize to March 2025, against an estimated deficit of 1 million mt with
the issuance of import permits four times the estimated deficit helping
to stabilise prices and eliminate arbitrage opportunities.
Meanwhile Dr Muswere said the 2024 winter cereals production is
estimated at 795 000mt, which is 9.35 percent above the originally
planned production.
“A total of 114 761mt of wheat has so far been harvested from 22 153
hectares, translating to an average yield of 5.18mt per hectare. Wheat
delivered to the GMB is 28 761mt out of which 26 417mt is from
ARDA-contracted farmers,” said Dr Muswere adding that wheat harvesting
is going on well with 291 out of the available 391 combine harvesters
deployed across the country for the exercise.
Turning to livestock, he said the government has introduced Ward Drought
Mitigation Centres across all 1 620 wards with Treasury availing resources for the establishment of all 1 035 ward centres in
agro-ecological regions 4 and 5.
“The coordination of the various actors, including development partners,
under the Drought Action Committee will ensure efficient use of scarce
resources through avoidance of duplication of efforts. To date,
Government has saved 101 000 livestock from death by providing over 6
000mt silage and water,” he said.
New Ziana
