Faith Nyasuguta
Zimbabwe has registered its largest wheat harvest in the year 2022, some 375,000 tons, making the austral African country a self-sufficient agricultural powerhouse.
With 375 thousand tons of wheat harvest registered for 2022, Zimbabwe is set to become a self-sufficient agricultural powerhouse. A very unique performance in Africa indeed.
The 2022 harvest was 13% higher than the previous year, breaking a 50 year old record.
The area sown to wheat has jumped by 10% and, above all, the state has established a policy of distributing fertilizer and buying crops via a public body, the Grain Marketing Board, which has won over farmers.
The nation no longer needs to import wheat to meet its needs, saving up to 300 million dollars in import costs.
In the current context where African countries are suffering from the absence or high cost of Russian and Ukrainian wheat, Zimbabwe stands out for its proactive policy.
However, although the country can pride itself in being a unique example in Africa for wheat, not everything is rosy. The Grain Marketing Board is having the worst difficulties paying farmers.
Less than a quarter of the crop has been purchased, despite government assurances and the release of emergency funds. The maize sector, the main cereal consumed in the country, is also progressing, but remains insufficient to meet national needs.
According to some experts, Zimbabwe’s agricultural yields generally remain below the African average.
