Story by Josephine Mugiyo
GOVERNMENT targets to produce 3, 3 million metric tonnes of cereal in the 2024/2025 summer cropping season after the previous season was greatly affected by El Nino-induced challenges.
The 2023/2024 summer cropping season turned out to be a disaster not just in Zimbabwe alone, but in most parts of Southern Africa due to the El Nino-induced drought which resulted in high temperatures and low rainfall.
With projections of better rains for the current summer cropping season, government has put in place targets for the 2024/2025. The aim is to produce more than 3 million metric tonnes (MT)of cereal .
The targets were revealed by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere during a Post Cabinet Media Briefing this Tuesday.
“The 2024/2025 Summer Season Plan aims to increase production of cereals to 3 274 200 MT, against the 744 271 MT obtained during the 2023/2024 summer season. The overall production volumes of major crops are expected to increase by 347% from a mere 915 000 MT to over 4 million MT.
“The production target for cereals is 3.3 million MT, while that for pulses is 819 500 MT. To date, over 746 238 hectares of maize have been planted under various support programmes, being 41.5% of the target. Under the Presidential Input Schemes, 117% of the targeted 9 million plots have been prepared by 116% of the targeted 3 million rural households,” he said.
Regarding the current dry spell, agronomic advisory from AGRITEX should guide farmers at the local level. A prediction by the Meteorological Services of normal to above normal rainfall is still in place.”
Alluvial mining has posed a threat on the country’s water bodies and government took a firm decision to ban it with more than 300 arrests having been made since the directive was issued.
“Following the directive by Cabinet on 20 August 2024 to ban riverbed mining, an Inter-Ministerial Committee, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development was set-up to spearhead the enforcement of the afore-stated directive and to carry out a survey on the status of the river ecosystems and recommend more deterrent penalties for breach of the law.
“Accordingly, on 29th November 2024, Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024: Environmental Management (Control of Alluvial Mining) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No.3) was gazetted. The ban on alluvial mining has been implemented and enforced throughout the country. The Statutory Instrument introduced stiffer penalties for offenders and allows for the seizure of minerals, machinery, equipment and vehicles. To date, a total of 344 arrests have been made across the country,” Dr Muswere said.
The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka clarified that all forms of riverbed mining were banned.
“Yes, all alluvial mining has been banned by any holder of any paper because of the devastation of rivers by those involved.”
Cabinet also discussed other developments in the mining sector. It was revealed that the Palm River Mines and Energy Project is targeting production of stainless steel, electricity generation of 1000 megawatts and production of one million tonnes of high carbon ferrochrome.
The 3, 6 billion palm energy industrial park is situated in Beitbridge and it set to be a game changer in the country’s energy and mining sectors.
As the year winds down, Cabinet business for 2024 is expected to be concluded next week with the last cabinet of the year expected to sit on the 17th.
