A WAVE of optimism is sweeping across Zimbabwe’s agricultural heartlands, as the latest assessments reveal a significant surge in the cultivation of essential food crops.
The country’s agriculture sector has seen a marked increase in the area under maize and traditional grains in the 2024/2025 summer cropping season, marginally exceeding the set target as part of efforts to boost food security and replenish the national grain reserves, the First Round of Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment (CLAFA-1) report reveals.
CLAFA-1, conducted by agriculture business advisers (ABAs) — formerly known as Agritex officers — across 1 600 wards countrywide, provides a snapshot of the current state of the agriculture sector, offering valuable insights for policymakers.
ABAs collect comprehensive data on crop conditions and production; livestock health; and fish production; as well as information on planting areas.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri explains the importance of growing small grains while he was in a millet crop field during a field tour in Chendambuya recently. Picture-: Tanyaradzwa Tanyanyiwa
The collected data went through a thorough checking, verification and analysis process from February 1 to 8, culminating in its presentation to the Cabinet last week.
A collaboration between the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, the report indicates that the area under maize increased by 5,4 percent from the previous season, while traditional grains saw a 7 percent rise, surpassing the targeted area.
“The area planted to maize increased from 1 728 897ha in the 2023/2024 season to 1 822 904ha in the 2024/2025 season, a 5,4 percent increase and marginally above the target of 1 800 000ha,” the report states.
“The area planted to traditional grains increased by 7 percent to 434 374 hectares from 405 116 hectares planted last year and is 4 percent above target.”
Thriving sorghum crop field in Chendambuya. Picture-: Tanyaradzwa Tanyanyiwa
This increase in maize and traditional grains hectarage is a positive development for Zimbabwe’s food security, as these crops are staples for the majority of the population.
The improved rainfall in late 2024 and early 2025 has also contributed to the fair to good condition of maize crops at the time of the assessment. However, the report also highlights the challenges faced by the horticulture sub-sector, which experienced slow growth due to the El Niño-induced drought that affected irrigation water availability.
While there were increases in the areas under blueberry, orange and coffee, the area under tea decreased due to low producer prices and high input costs.
“The total area planted under horticulture marginally increased from 11 952 hectares in the 2023/2024 season to 11 957 hectares in the 2024/2025 season,” the report notes.
On a more positive note, the livestock sub-sector has shown resilience in the face of a severe drought, with a slight increase in the national beef cattle herd and growth in the dairy herd, resulting in a rise in milk production.
The national beef cattle herd grew by 0,4 percent from 5 718 523 in 2023 to 5 741 397 in 2024.
The dairy herd increased by 8,7 percent from 60 398 in 2023 to 65 659 in 2024.
“This resulted in a 15 percent increase in raw milk production to 11 699 440 litres from 99 823 775 litres in 2023.
“The grazing condition (quantity and quality) and water supply have become satisfactory in most regions of the country following widespread rains received in January. The livestock is in a fair to good body condition,” the report notes.
In contrast, the fisheries and aquaculture sub-sector has been negatively impacted by the drought, with total fish production decreasing compared to the previous year. Kapenta harvests have also decreased due to overfishing and illegal activities, while Nile tilapia production has been affected by the drought.
“Total fish production in 2024 was 31 296 tonnes, with 26 310 tonnes being from capture fisheries and 4 986 tonnes from aquaculture,” the report states.
Despite these challenges, the Government’s Rural Development 8.0 programme, which encompasses eight Presidential interventions, has made strides in improving rural livelihoods.
The Presidential Climate-Proofed Input Scheme, for instance, reached 3,5 million households, while other initiatives such as the Presidential Poultry Scheme and the Presidential Rural Development Programme also reported progress.
“The Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme gained momentum in 2024 with the distribution of 751 408 four-week-old indigenous chicks to beneficiaries compared to 200 161 in 2023. Rural Development 8.0 — the cocktail of outcome-based and impact-oriented eight Presidential interventions — is designed to improve the livelihoods of rural communities and to increase their economic participation for the attainment of Vision 2030, while leaving no one and no place behind,” read part of the report.
The CLAFA-1 report underscores the importance of Government interventions and support schemes in sustaining and boosting agricultural productivity, particularly in the face of climate-related challenges.
It also highlights the need for sustainable management of fisheries resources to ensure the long-term viability of the sub-sector.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said preliminary decisions have been made based on the CLAFA-1 findings that will see the sector adjust to climatic shocks.
“Taking cognisant of the climate change and erratic rainfall patterns, institutional arrangements have been made to optimise planning and coordination of cloud seeding activities for enhanced rainfall patterns in Zimbabwe.
“On a long-term plan, the Government will accelerate irrigation development in order to increase functional irrigation from the current 217 000 hectares to the targeted 496 000 hectares by crowding in private players,” said Dr Masuka.
For fisheries, the five fingerling production hubs — Makoholi, Henderson, Matobo, Lupane and Chipinge — will see a boost with the coming on board of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
“Our partnership is seeing these production centres receiving a facelift. Direct investments have been put through and works are currently underway to increase fingerling production,” the Minister said.
Establishment of fingerling distribution hubs, he said, have started.
“To date, in partnership with FAO, we have set up two state-of-the-art fingerling distribution hubs in Masvingo and Manicaland as a way to decentralise and cut costs for our farmers as we seek to boost production that will ultimately contribute towards making the sub-sector a US$1 billion sector,” he added. – Sunday Mail
