Winter Crop Revolution Aims for Record Harvests, Eyes Potato Expansion

By Ilyana Sithole

Bulawayo – Zimbabwe is setting its sights on a groundbreaking winter cropping season, aiming to produce 600,000 metric tonnes of wheat while strategically expanding into potato and barley production. The high-stakes campaign was top on the agenda of the Winter Crop Revolution Conference held today at Holiday Inn Hotel in Bulawayo.

Acting Chief Director of Agricultural Research, Development and Advisory Services (ARDAS), Mr Leonard Munamati, officially opened the conference on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Dr O. Jiri. The top-level conference brought together the value chain stakeholders in the winter crop, namely farmers, financiers, researchers, and the government, to debate how they could optimize the production and productivity.

In a keynote speech read on his behalf, Professor Jiri congratulated the newly achieved 563,961MT wheat crop that had just broken the national target of 360,000MT. He remarked that the achievement has placed Zimbabwe at the pinnacle as one of the leading agricultural producers and created space for further growth.

“Building on this success, the Ministry in collaboration with Zimpapers and other stakeholders now seeks to expand this achievement to potatoes, barley, and other critical winter crops in the coming 2025 planting season,” said the Permanent Secretary. He referred to growing importance of the potato on the national consumption basket, referring to the same as being healthy and cheaper to eat.

The ambitious targets of the 2025 winter crop are to achieve 600,000MT of wheat through an increase in the area to 120,000 hectares and productivity from 4.7 tonnes/hectare to 5 tonnes/hectare. The nation also anticipates 39,000MT of barley from 6,500 hectares and an all-time record of 236,250MT of potatoes from 8,750 hectares.

Professor Jiri emphasized the most important role of different stakeholders in fulfilling these objectives, e.g., ARDA estates, irrigation schemes, joint ventures, institutions like AFC, CBZ Agro-Yield, and NMB, Presidential Input Scheme (PIP), and self-financed farmers.

The Ministry also implemented its strategic Wheat-Based Food Security Plan that not only aimed at meeting national requirement but also the creation of an over-and-above production which can be exported and to maintain a strategic wheat reserve of 250,000MT.

Speaking of success drivers, Professor Jiri cited the need for:
* Reliable power supply, 150 megawatts for winter wheat production clusters.
* Adequate water resources and effective irrigation management by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).
* Access to required inputs such as quality seeds, fertilizers, fuel, and mechanization in good time.
* Effective financial support for assured timely payment to farmers and adequate capital for growth.
* Enhanced security, infrastructure, and effective land management.
* Effective enhancement of coordination, monitoring, and evaluation systems.

Notably, Professor Jiri stressed on the importance of collaborative collaborations among government, farmers, processors, academia, and industry stakeholders as the bedrock upon which to drive these facilitators and, by extension, drive attainment of Vision 2030’s vision for food security for all families.

Furthermore, the Ministry underscored its commitment to facilitating rural industrialization through local value addition and processing in a bid to create export markets for winter crops and make Zimbabwe a competitive world producer.

The participants at the conference engaged in discussion of joint action needed, best practices, and technology needed in achieving targets set. The stand of the Ministry at ZITF also offers a platform from which to disseminate information and generate public awareness regarding the efforts being made towards transforming the agrarian sector of Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has also unveiled its stand at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) 2025 in Bulawayo themed “Industrialisation: Crafting an Integrated Economic Landscape.” The public is welcome to visit their stand to get to know more about what they do. Priorities being showcased include:
Irrigation Development and Water Management, Agricultural Extension & Training, Security of Tenure, Gender, Inclusivity & Wellness, Agricultural Education & Innovation, Sustainable Agricultural Models, Rebound in Livestock Production, Climate-Proving Agriculture, Mechanization & Infrastructure Development, the #Agric4She empowerment of women farmers engaged in agriculture, Rural Development 8.0, the Village Business Unit Model, Strategic Partnerships & Alliances, and Climate-Smart Agriculture.

The Ministry’s attendance at ZITF 2025 and the Winter Crop Revolution Conference is the government’s resolve to make food secure and drive economic growth through a successful and modern agricultural industry. Wheat production being the focus, is Zimbabwe’s plan to achieving self-sufficiency goals.

Their slogan, “Food Security: Everywhere, Everyday,” is also made manifest in their behavior at the conference and the trade fair, as well, a declaration of a shared vision towards achieving a food-secure and economically developed Zimbabwe.