Govt tips Zim for bumper harvest

Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe is anticipating a maize and traditional grains bumper harvest in the 2020/21 season, with government having put in place strategies to ensure smooth flow of the harvesting, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday.

Government spokesperson, who is also the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa told a post Cabinet media briefing that production of a combined three million metric tonnes of maize and traditional grains was expected.

“Cabinet was informed that although the Ministry (of agriculture) is awaiting the results of the First Round of the Crops and Livestock Assessment later in March, 2021, for planning purposes an estimated national production of 2.5 to 2.8 million metric tonnes of maize and 360 000 metric tonnes of traditional grains has been based on the promising bumper harvest in 2021,” Mutsvangwa said.

She said a Department of Post-Harvest Technology and Storage Engineering, in the agriculture ministry, had since been re-established to safeguard the anticipated production.

“Modalities for grain mobilisation, purchase, storage and infrastructure upgrading are already at an advanced stage, with 665 COTTCO collection and buying points having been earmarked for use by the GMB as additional collection points,” Mutsvangwa said.

Various schemes to provide harvesting equipment such as combine harvesters, shellers and dryers had been put in place, she said.

Among these was a facility to supply 72 combine harvesters under already established facilities with John Deere and the government of Belarus, 200 shellers through the Land Bank and planned import of 13 mobile grain dryers at a cost of US$1.3 million each from Italy.

Zimbabwe received normal to above normal rainfall in the 2020/21 season triggering improved productivity.
New Ziana