Zimbabwe is now food secure after achieving bumper maize and wheat harvests in the last few cropping seasons, but the Government remains determined to transform agricultural systems for the sector to contribute positively towards Vision 2030 of an upper middle income society, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera said.
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Speaking during the Long Service Awards ceremony at SeedCo's Mt Hampden offices just outside Harare, Dr Basera said food security will only be achieved through efficiently producing enough food crops.
Dr Basera applauded farmers for working hard last year to achieve a milestone in wheat production, after attaining a record-breaking 375 000 tonnes of wheat and 1,5 million tonnes of maize last season.
Zimbabwe requires 360 000 tonnes of wheat per annum, and the huge harvest, which is the biggest since 1966, means there will be no shortages of bread and other confectionery.
"Yes we are food secure because in the recent past, I have seen applications for permits to import seed, that is maize seed and traditional grains," said Dr Basera.
"We started to operationalise the Agriculture Recovery Growth Plan and we managed to score 2,7 million tonnes of maize during the 2020-2021 cropping season. So, generally we are food secure and l know SeedCo contributed almost 90 percent and this was a big score.
"We recorded 375 000 tonnes of wheat (last season) and for the first time since 1966, we are flour self-sufficient and that's incredible."
The Government has initiated public-private sector engagements to ensure its projections of a harvest of about 3 million tonnes of maize from the present season, are realised. ■
An upper level high pressure system is expected to continue aiding well above average and potentially dangerous temperatures throughout the West into the first full weekend of September.