Finance and Economic Minister Patrick Chinamasa has described the 2017 command wheat farming as a ‘success’ saying that the yield has exceeded expectations.
Chinamasa was speaking after touring the African Chrome Fields in Chenyika Ranch, Midlands Province where he commended winter wheat farmers for heeding government’s command crop program.
“It goes without saying that, from what i have seen, the command winter wheat program has been a resounding success and has exceeded our expectations.
“This comes on the backdrop of a successful command maize where millions of families will benefit from the bumper harvest we realized this past season,” said Chinamasa.
He added that “Together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development, we set a target of 200 000 tons of wheat but we are now expecting the yield to double to 400 000 tonnes.”
The country’s wheat requirements stand at about 350 000 to 400 000 tonnes per year and with Chinamasa hinting of a bumper harvest, government could save a lot of foreign currency that previously went towards imports.
Low production of wheat for over a decade saw Zimbabwe import huge quantities of the cereal crop but the problem could be averted as more farmers are bouncing back thanks to the government’s command agriculture scheme.
