Harare (New Ziana) – The government is keen to see an improvement in the production of traditional grains at a time the region faces drought as evidenced by the emergence of the el-Niño phenomenon in June, a senior government official has said.
Lands, Agriculture, fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, John Basera said the government would want traditional grains contribution of between 200 000 and 300 000 metric tonnes (MT) to the national strategic grains reserve of 1.5 million MT.
As part of its input support programmes, farmers in regions 4 and 5 are going to be provided with traditional grains seed packs to promote the production of small grains that are rich in protein, calcium, iron, potassium, Zinc, magnesium and fats and health benefits making them a choice for millions that suffer from hypertension, obesity and celiac disease.
The government recently reviewed the country’s strategic grains reserve from 500mt to 1.5 million MT to cover two to three bad seasons in the face of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an address to a one-day Zimbabwe Stakeholders workshop which is part of a series of pre-conference events for the India-Africa International Millet Conference set for Nairobi, Kenya, at the end of this month. The conference, under the theme, ‘promoting the World’s Emerging Smart Food’ is jointly being organised by the governments of India and Kenya in partnership with ICRISAT to commemorate 2023 being declared the International Year of Millets by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the United Nations.
Basera challenged the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to continue working closely with the government and other key institutions that include academia and the private sector to ensure the benefits of research quickly reach poorly resourced communal farmers and help the country achieve its vision of an upper middle income economy by 2030.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Agricultural Advisory Services and Rural Development chief director, Professor Obert Jiri, he said despite progress in recent years by research and development, productivity remains below the genetic potential of released crop varieties due to challenges confronting the small holder sector including climate change variability and change.
“Despite the numerous benefits of traditional grains to human nutrition and their inherent resistance to climate shocks, the value chain for traditional grains in the country needs transformation to act as a catalyst for the growth o the sector,” he said.
The workshop objectives to promote sustainable millet production as a nutritious source of food; strategize and strengthen value chains to enhance market access and profitability, come up with supportive policies that incentivize millet production and consumption and digital technologies to enhance knowledge dissemination, access to information and productivity resonated with the ministry’s growth strategies for the sector.
“These include the significant strides towards the liberalisation of the agricultural market with the Zimbabwe Merchantile Exchange now active and establishment of digital platforms for training, specialized information and agricultural solutions to boost productivity, including that of traditional grains such as millets,” said Basera.
New Ziana
