Story by Tendai Munengwa
ZIMBABWE is edging closer to achieving wheat export status, thanks to remarkable production levels by farmers nationwide.
Leading the charge is the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), which projects a contribution of 300 000 tonnes to the National Strategic Reserves.
Wheat harvesting has intensified across the country, with farmers in Mashonaland Central Province contracted by ARDA have produced a high-quality cereal crop which is now being harvested and delivered to the national strategic grain reserve.
“I have started harvesting wheat under ARDA contract, am clearing this 200 hectares here, and we are working 24 hours to make sure we finish before the rains,” the combined harvester driver said.
“We are expecting a bumper harvest, we want to thank our President Cde ED Mnangagwa for coming up with joint ventures – like the ARDA contract farming growing wheat is now productive, here we have two hundred hectares, and we expect a bumper harvest,” Kwayedza farm manager, Moses Hushehwemhuka said.
With a national target pegged at 600 000 tonnes, ARDA operations director Sshingirai Jenah is upbeat that the food security parastatal is on track to hit its target of 300 000 tonnes.
“We were mandated to planted 60 thousand hectares, that we surpassed and with such good yields by farmers we contracted- we are confident to achieve 300 000 tonnes of wheat, we have also started to work on the summer Programme where we are targeting to put 100 000 and produce over 500 000 tonnes of grain,” ARDA Operations Director for commercial service, Shingirai Jenah said.
The high level of crop productivity countrywide demonstrates that farmers have come of age, and with over 10 000 dams across the country, prospects for the country to produce up to a million metric tonnes of the cereal crop in the future are bright.
