Harare, (New Ziana)- Vice President General (Retired) Constantino Chiwenga on Wednesday called for a major shift towards productivity, value addition and commercialisation in the agricultural sector, which should must play a central role in driving economic growth, industrialisation and food security.
Addressing the 14th Annual National Agribusiness conference held on the sidelines of the ongoing 2026 Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, VP Chiwenga said agricultural productivity was critical to the national ambition of becoming an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
The conference, held under the theme “Agricultural Productivity as a Catalyst for Agribusiness Growth and Food Security,” brought together policymakers, farmers, financiers, researchers, agribusinesses, development partners and industry leaders.
VP Chiwenga said the implementation of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) for 2026–2030 places food security, climate resilience, inclusive growth, infrastructure, innovation and job creation at the centre of the country’s development agenda.
He said agriculture should move from a predominantly production-focused approach towards a commercially integrated sector driven by value addition across the entire agricultural economy.
“We must begin to adopt an agro-business approach anchored in the ‘Farm to Fork’ concept,” he said.
Under the model, farmers’ produce would be aggregated for both domestic and export markets, creating stronger linkages between production, processing and markets, he said.
The Vice President said Zimbabwe had made significant progress in agricultural recovery and growth, supported by Government interventions, increased private-sector participation, improved extension services, infrastructure investment and the resilience of farmers.
He said there was hiowever still considerable scope to improve productivity per hectare, productivity per unit of water and productivity across all agricultural enterprises.
The government, he said, would continue prioritising the expansion and rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure, affordable agricultural finance, mechanisation and modernisation, research and innovation, technology adoption and stronger extension services.
Other priorities include supporting localised production, enhancing aggregation, value addition and beneficiation, as well as developing efficient agricultural markets.
VP Chiwenga warned that climate change remained one of the biggest threats to agricultural productivity, with erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells and rising temperatures requiring accelerated adoption of climate-smart agriculture.
He said the 2026/27 summer agricultural season would be a critical test of Zimbabwe’s resilience, amid geopolitical tensions that could increase fuel and fertiliser prices and disrupt supplies, as well as forecasts of a severe El Niño phenomenon.
The anticipated conditions could result in extreme dryness and heat in Southern Africa, with potential disruptions to food and water supplies and severe drought conditions.
“To this end, it is necessary to promote the efficient utilisation of water resources; rehabilitate boreholes, expand irrigation development and shift towards the cultivation of resilient, hardy crops, including sorghum, millet and sunflower,” he said.
VP Chiwenga said the government’s response will include an integrated financing architecture combining Treasury allocations, private-sector participation and specialised credit through the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme.
The strategy will also focus on ensuring the availability and affordability of inputs, accelerating climate-smart production, strengthening early warning systems and capacity building, increasing Strategic Grain Reserve stocks and developing livestock drought mitigation measures.
“The effectiveness of Government’s strategy depends on the active participation and alignment of all stakeholders within the agricultural business ecosystem,” he said.
New Ziana
