The Government, in collaboration with the private sector, plans to mobilize ZiG22 billion (US$1.6 billion) to boost crop production and enhance food security at both household and national levels.
This initiative is part of preparations for the 2024/25 summer cropping season, which is expected to benefit from the La-Nina phenomenon, typically associated with normal to above-normal rainfall.
In the 2024 Mid-Term Budget, Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube outlined that this funding will support the cultivation of cereals, oil seeds, and pulses, aiming for a total output of 4.5 million tonnes.
The private sector is anticipated to contribute US$960 million, while the Government will provide US$640 million for the Presidential Input Scheme and other guaranteed agriculture schemes through ARDA, AFC, and CBZ facilities.
The initiative targets aiding 1.8 million vulnerable households with agricultural inputs for cereal, cotton, oil seeds, pulses, and livestock. Additionally, 90,000 hectares are set aside for irrigated maize crops involving farmers through joint ventures with ARDA, private sector contract farming, and self-financed operations.
Minister Ncube emphasized the need for deeper agricultural production and marketing reforms to attract more investment and engage the private sector.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) director Paul Zacharia discussed the different forms of agricultural financing needed: working capital for short-term needs, medium-term financing for equipment and irrigation, and long-term financing for infrastructure such as dams and roads. He highlighted the importance of comprehensive funding to support various aspects of agricultural production beyond just seeds.
Zacharia pointed out that current bank offerings are insufficient for the broader financial needs of agriculture, often focusing only on short-term inputs, which can hinder production.
On irrigation development, Minister Ncube reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to ensuring year-round cropping and food security, regardless of seasonal rainfall patterns. The National Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Programme aims to fully utilize the country’s irrigation potential, with a target of expanding functional irrigable land to 496,000 hectares by 2025. In the first half of the year, ZiG19.6 million was invested in irrigation, with plans to achieve 6,864 hectares by December 2024.
The Government will also leverage the Irrigation Development Alliance, a collaborative framework involving the state, farmers, private sector, and banks, to secure additional funding and build a resilient and productive irrigation ecosystem.
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