Story by Tafara Chikumira, Midlands Bureau Chief
SEVEN Artificial Intelligence-powered grain silos commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Kwekwe this Monday are poised to revolutionise Zimbabwe’s grain storage infrastructure and significantly reduce post-harvest losses.
The newly inaugurated smart silos represent a milestone in the country’s agricultural modernisation drive, offering farmers a more secure and efficient solution for grain storage.
Equipped with a centralised control room, the AI technology enables real-time monitoring of all storage operations, ensuring optimal conditions for long-term grain preservation.
“These are metal galvanised silos with some water resistance features, they also have windshields, the idea is to protect grain from unfriendly weather phenomena. The silos have a rotational ventilation process to protect the grain. This means the grain can be stored in the silos for two years. There is also the drier which can dry 100 tonnes in an hour,” Project Manager, Engineer Isaac Mashonganyika said.
The government says the smart silos will guarantee national food security and self-sustenance.
“This year alone we are anticipating a total of 2.9 metric tonnes of cereals. This leaves us with a surplus of 1.2 million tonnes. So these silos will find immediate use. In this continent, 55 % of countries rely on imports at a time Zimbabwe is set to be an industrial farming hub,” the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Honourable Anxious Masuka said.
“I want to thank you your Excellency for coming up with the devolution and decentralisation concept which is changing our communities. Today we are shining as Midlands Province following the commissioning of these silos. We hope the silos will also translate into an improved GDP for our Province,” Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hoourablen Owen Ncube said.
Agriculture stakeholders believe the smart silos are a step forward as the country angles to attain Vision 2030.
“If you look at the World Food Programme assessment, a lot of grain in the country is lost during the post-harvest process. You also need to note that grain storage is of paramount importance when it comes to assuring food sustenance. What this then means is that our President is futuristic in all he is doing for the nation,” Grain Millers Association president, Mr Tafadzwa Musarara said.
“As a farmer, we started on a false start, but the government has always been doing a lot in the provision of inputs. Now I am expecting 400 000 to 500 000 tonnes of maize due to the various learning processes,” one farmer said.
“This is a historic moment we have just witnessed, it has given me the energy to do more on the farming front. We need to fill up these silos and make our President proud,” another farmer added.
The additional 14 sites of the silo expansion project will add to the existing silos with a capacity of 750 000 metric tonnes and will leave the nation with a total storage capacity of 1.5 million metric tonnes of grain.
