The government has informed the nation that there are enough grain reserves to take the country to the next harvest.
Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Hon Dr Jenfan Muswere informed the nation in an post cabinet brief on summer crops and tobacco marketing which was adopted by cabinet.
“Cabinet wishes to assure the nation that there will be enough grain before the commencement of the next maize/traditional grains intake in April 2024”.
Zimbabwe produced 2.57 million metric tonnes of maize and traditional grains during the 2022/2023 season. The consumption rate for the nation is 2.2 million metric tonnes of maize/traditional grains (1.8 metric tonnes for food and 400 000 for stock feed) per year.
Wheat stocks at 247 371 metric tonnes as at 28 January, 2024 are sufficient to cover eleven months, at a monthly drawdown rate of 21 000 metric tonnes.
Regarding the summer crops marketing update, the nation is informed that the to total marketed crops was 526 082 metric tonnes for the 2022/2023 summer crops, out of which the GMB purchased 210 579 metric tonnes.
The GMB intake constituted 39% market share for all the marketed crops.
The 2023/24 has seen a total of 3 027 559 hectares being planted to crops during the summer Season, out of the targeted 3 674 000 hectares.
Maize cropping caters for 1 676 274 hectares while the area under sorghum is 362 541 hectares. 141 169 hectares have pearl millet, and 271 823 hectares have groundnuts.
The 2023/24 season harvest expectation is 2 283 272 metric tonnes of maize and 271 623 metric tonnes of traditional grains.
The government continues to support farmers through the Climate-Proofed Presidential Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme with a total of 744 588 hectares under crops.
There has been an increase in the number of farmers embracing the programme as witnessed by a jump from 4 602 209 plots equivalent to 287 640 hectares by 19 November, 2021 prepared to 5 867 292 plots equivalent to 366 706 hectares that had been prepared by 21 November, 2022.
In 2023, 11 932 505 plots which are equivalent to 744 588 hectares had been prepared under the Climate-Proofed Presidential Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme by 20 November 2023. This I a 103% increase compared to the year 2022.
Government interventions are paying dividends as the country continue to be food self sufficient.
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