The price of bread is expected to remain stable for the foreseeable future due to the country’s sufficient wheat production, official figures show.
Presenting the State of the Economy at the Zanu-PF National People’s Conference recently, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Mthuli Ncube, who is also the party’s Deputy Treasurer General, revealed that the country “now produces wheat sufficient for our bread requirements.”
Minister Ncube attributed the growth in wheat production to the “Winter Wheat Programme”, a Government and private sector partnership that has managed to mobilise financing.
He revealed that wheat production increased by 538 percent from 94 000 tonnes in 2019 to 600 045 tonnes in 2025, exceeding the national consumption requirement of 360 000 tonnes per annum.
Meanwhile, this year’s harvesting of wheat is well underway, with 57, 6 percent of the planted wheat having been harvested, with a volume of 385 267 tonnes achieved to date, according to the 32nd Post Cabinet Briefing.
Producer prices have also remained flat to lower, with this year’s producer price for premium grade pegged lower than last year’s price for the same grade.
In late September 2025, GMB chief executive officer Dr Edson Badarai announced the winter wheat producer price for the 2024/25 season at $451,35 for standard grade and US$461 35 for premium grade.
This is lower than the price of US$470 for premium wheat announced in September last year, but slightly above the US$450 for standard wheat.
With wheat production sufficient, save for what is imported for blending, bread and related products are expected to remain steady into the foreseeable future.
Local Zimbabwean wheat is typically “soft wheat,” which doesn’t have the high gluten content required for high-volume commercial bread making. It must be mixed (blended) with imported “hard wheat” (often Durum wheat) to achieve the desired loaf volume, texture, and crumb quality.
But the imported wheat component should not result in price increases even with the new requirements under Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025.
The statutory instrument gazetted under the Agricultural Marketing Authority Act tightens import regulations on grains and oilseeds to promote local production.
A pricing mechanism has been introduced where the difference between the landed import parity price and the local production parity price accrues to the Agricultural Revolving Fund to support future agricultural financing.
However, the imported quarter is not expected to result in bread price increases.
Bread retails at between $1 and $1,20 depending on type.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Obert Jiri said the consistent increase in wheat production and the reduction in fertilizer prices from the high of the Covid-19 era have led to stabilization in bread prices.
“Further reduction in flour and associated products is expected in the foreseeable future,” said Prof Jiri.
Trigrams Investments analyst, Wafa Kuchera said, “The growth in the wheat production mirrors growth in other agricultural produce like tobacco, milk and sweet potatoes, which demonstrates that consistent policies and sustained support could transform many more sectors.”
He further noted, “The greatest risk to the sustainability of such programs has always been our reliance on natural weather patterns and a lack of consistent power supply to support large scale irrigation. These two areas need innovative policy measures and creative financial structures to ensure further growth and profitability within the value chain.” As for the bread price, he observed, “The bread price has been stable for over a decade and this has been achieved through several interventions, but this time it is due to productivity. Productivity driven price stability is very ideal as it attracts new players into the market, which normally has the effect to self-reinforce and build resilience in a sector.” – Herald
