Harare, (New Ziana) – The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Anxious Masuka has said that Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector is now a US$10.3 billion industry, having surpassed targets set five years ago.
He made this statement at the Matopos Research Institute in Matabeleland South as Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Food Day, which was observed under the theme: ‘Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.’
Masuka attributed the industry’s success to the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy and the resilience of farmers.
“When we launched the first Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy in 2020, we set an ambitious target to grow the sector from a US$5.2 billion industry to US$8.2 billion by 2025. I stand before you today to declare, with great pride, that through the relentless efforts of our farmers and the supportive policies of the Second Republic, we have surpassed that target. Despite facing the worst drought in forty years during the 2023/2024 season, our agricultural sector has grown to become a US$10.3 billion industry.
“This remarkable achievement is a testament to our collective resilience. We have seen record wheat production, making us a regional breadbasket once more. We have witnessed the rebirth of our horticulture sector, with blueberries and avocados earning crucial foreign currency. Our livestock herd is recovering, and our irrigation capacity is expanding. Food security in our rural households has improved from 44 percent in 2020 to 85 percent today. These are not just statistics; they are stories of transformed lives and communities,” he said.
According to Masuka, the new target is to make agriculture a US$15.8 billion industry by 2030, guided by the fundamentals of the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (AFSRTS 2), which was launched by President Mnangagwa on 29 October this year.
“This new strategy is our sectoral implementation plan for the National Development Strategy 2, guiding us towards the attainment of Vision 2030. Our new target is to build a US$15.8 billion agriculture industry by 2030,” he said.
The AFSRTS 2 is built on foundational pillars, designed to ensure food sovereignty and nutrition security.
“Zimbabwe is on an irreversible path to becoming a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030, with a viable, competitive, sustainable, inclusive, and resilient agricultural sector at its core. Let us all join hands—government, private sector, development partners, and every citizen—to build this future together,” Masuka
added.
New Ziana
