Govt to support wheat farmers




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With the country this year expecting to produce 140 000 metric tonnes of wheat against a national requirement of 400 000 metric tonnes per year, the government has moved in to help in acquiring irrigation machinery and combine harvesters for

The country’s wheat tonnage continues to decline.

Last year 158 000 metric tonnes were produced with the figure expected to go down by 18 000 metric tonnes this year.

It is against this background that government has intervened and is in the process of acquiring machinery for wheat farmers to increase the wheat hectarage in the coming seasons, said Cde Vangelis Haritatos, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Culture and Rural Resettlement.

The deputy minister was speaking at the 2018 wheat conference and awards ceremony.

The chairman of the Zimbabwe Wheat Board Mr Givemore Mesoemvura urged farmers who had abandoned growing the crop to take it up again.

The country has since last month been experiencing wheat shortages which have resulted in inadequate supply of bread in supermarkets and retail outlets,  with the situation expected to improve soon as wheat harvesting has begun in various parts of the country.