ZIMBABWE targets to increase wheat production from the current 640 000 tonnes to 1,4 million tonnes by 2030 as the nation moves to become a net exporter of the cereal.
At the top of the Government’s priority list for wheat farming was achieving self-sufficiency, which was attained in 2022.
This was followed by the current push to substitute imports with locally produced wheat products.
The Second Republic is now on the cusp of getting wheat exports underway to generate foreign currency.
This is contained in the country’s new agriculture roadmap, the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2: 2026-30 (AFSRTS 2), which replaces AFSRTS 1, which ends this year.
“Wheat production is projected to increase from 778 000 tonnes in 2026 to 1 388 000 tonnes by 2030, while the gross value will increase from US$342 million to US$541 million.
“The wheat value chain’s contribution at the inception of AFSRTS 2 will be three percent of total Agriculture Gross Value in 2026 and rise to 3,4 percent in the 2030 season,” read the document.
The country produces soft wheat and imports about 30 percent of its hard wheat requirements for blending purposes. However, 100 percent locally produced wheat is being used to make bread by some manufacturers.
National Foods Limited chief executive, Mr Mike Lashbrook, said the country’s wheat quality was good.
“The local wheat quality is generally very good. Our local wheat usually produces a whiter flour, which is what the consumers want. Due to our growing conditions, the local wheat has lower protein and so we have to import a bit of high-protein wheat to get the flour protein to the correct levels,” he said.
Mr Lashbrook said the company was working with some of the seed houses and farmers to introduce higher protein wheat varieties and if this succeeds, the country would reduce wheat imports.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Vangelis Haritatos, said as the research for alternative hard wheat varieties intensified, the country must continue to increase production of quality wheat and productivity.
The Government’s current focus is on reducing input costs and adherence to Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs), which will ensure top-quality soft wheat with high protein, wet gluten and dry gluten is produced.
“Cabinet has directed us to look into strengthening the wheat value chain and we have already started this process by setting up a joint committee comprising members from the three ministries of agriculture, finance and industry,” he said.
Hard wheat has a higher protein content and gluten strength than soft wheat, making it better for bread making, while soft wheat performs better in products like cakes and pastries.
Deputy Minister Haritatos said the country had a comparative advantage in the growing of soft wheat and would continue to support this programme in the long run.
Wheat production in Zimbabwe, since its inception in the 1960s, has always been on soft wheat.
Policy dictates that a miller must buy 70 percent of local wheat to be able to access 30 percent of imported hard wheat.
To achieve that 2030 target, the area under wheat production is expected to increase from the envisaged additional irrigation area of 496 000 hectares by 2030.
As a result of Government-facilitated and private sector-driven policies, the country’s wheat area rose 412 percent from 23 820 hectares in 2019 to 122 011 this year.
In terms of production, it surged 540 percent from 100 044 tonnes in 2019 to 639 942 tonnes this year.
Zimbabwe consumes 360 000 tonnes annually with any surplus presenting export opportunities to generate between US$100 and US$150 million annually.
Wheat is mainly consumed as bread, pasta products, breakfast cereals, cake and many others. It is an active contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Over the years, demand for wheat has been rising due to increases in population growth, urban populations and changes in consumer tastes and preferences, thereby outstripping supply.
This necessitated imports to fill the gap, while hard wheat was also required to improve the glistening of the local wheat product. – Herald
