Zim expecting good maize harvest

Harare (New Ziana)-Zimbabwe is expecting at least 2.3 million tons of maize from the 2022/23 summer cropping season, a 58 percent increase from last year’s production, a cabinet minister has said.

Successive droughts have weighed down crop production in recent years, but this has changed due to good rains and the introduction of conservation agriculture, popularly known as Pfumvudza/Intwasa.

The good cropping season has also been attributed to early distribution of inputs, especially under the Presidential Inputs program, training of farmers, capacitation of extension workers and robust monitoring and evaluation.

In a weekly post Cabinet briefing to journalists, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the expected gains in maize production were notwithstanding uneven distribution of rains during the season.

“Cabinet wishes to inform the nation that despite the uneven start and distribution of rains during the 2022/2023 summer season, the prospects for high yields now look bright, following the Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment which has been completed,” she said.

“The estimated maize production is 2 298 281 metric tons (MT), a 58 percent increase on the 2021/2022 season. Traditional grains production is estimated at 280 966 MT, a 45 increase on the 2021/2022 figure; sorghum production is expected to be 191 125 MT, which is 32 percent more than production in the 2021/2022 season. Pearl millet production is expected to be 171 221 MT, which is 61 percent more than what was produced in 2021/2022 season; and finger millet production is expected to be 18 610 MT, which is 250 percent more than what was produced in the 2021/2022 season.”

Mutsvangwa said expected total cereal production was 2 579 247 metric tons against a national requirement of 1 837 742 metric tons for human consumption and 450 000 metric tons for livestock, leaving a surplus.

She said cotton production for the 2022/2023 season was estimated at 152 472 metric tons, a 3 percent increase from the previous season.

Tobacco production was estimated at 234 745 metric tons, reflecting a 9 percent increase on the 2021/2022 season while soya bean production was estimated at 93 089 MT, a 13 percent increase on the 2021/2022 season, she said.

Groundnuts production increased by 118 percent from 98 765 MT in the 2021/2022 season to 214 145 MT this season while sugar bean production increased by 23 percent to 31 274 MT in 2022/2023.

“In the horticulture sub-sector, there is an overall increase in production of horticultural crops for the 2022/2023 season with growth registered in the production of blueberries, tea, irish potato, onions, tomatoes, oranges, apples, macadamia nuts and bananas among others,” said Nutsvangwa.

New Ziana