Zimbabwe's grain deliveries surge

The Government has reported a significant increase in grain and oilseed deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) for the 2024-2025 summer production season, signalling a positive outlook for national food security and rural livelihoods.

Addressing the media during a post-Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said that deliveries were steadily rising, with expectations ranging between 120,000 and 150,000 tonnes for the season. He assured farmers that the Government is actively mobilising resources to ensure prompt payments for deliveries.

"As of Tuesday last week, the Strategic Grain Reserves stood at 80,208 tonnes, while the private sector held maize stocks of 48,293 tonnes," Dr Muswere said.

He also confirmed the official commencement of the 2025 cotton marketing season on June 9. Farmers will receive payment for their seed cotton using a dual currency system - 70 percent in US dollars and 30 percent in Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency. The pricing structure will be grade-based, with Grade A cotton fetching US$0.41 per kilogramme, Grade B US$0.37, Grade C US$0.34, and Grade D US$0.30.

Cotton sales are forecast to reach 61,000 tonnes this season, marking a dramatic improvement from last season's 13,600 tonnes. To support the marketing process, the Government has established 697 buying points nationwide, comprising 221 permanent stations and 476 mobile units.

To protect farmers and ensure transparency, Dr Muswere announced that no cotton bales would be allowed to leave any buying point unless full payment has been made. Furthermore, merchants are barred from purchasing seed cotton unless they have cleared all outstanding payments from the previous season, including any due grade differential adjustments.

Tobacco production has also seen exceptional growth. By June 8, Zimbabwe had sold over 272.7 million kilogrammes of tobacco worth US$917.6 million. The crop was produced by around 135,000 farmers, averaging over US$6,700 in earnings per grower. Dr Muswere noted that this reflects a 41 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, highlighting the crop's critical role in sustaining rural economies and boosting national revenue.

Turning to the 2025 Winter Cereals production plan, Dr Muswere reaffirmed Government targets of 600,000 tonnes of wheat from 120,000 hectares, 39,000 tonnes of barley from 6,500 hectares, and 236,000 tonnes of potatoes from 8,700 hectares. As of June 5, notable progress had been recorded in planting operations.

"Wheat planting had reached 105,663 hectares, while barley planting was at 6,115 hectares, representing 94.1 percent of the seasonal target. For potatoes, 3,417 hectares had been planted out of the target 8,750 hectares," he said.

The Minister emphasised that the Government's strategic interventions in agriculture, including structured pricing, market support, and timely input provision, are essential to driving productivity, boosting rural incomes, and strengthening food self-sufficiency.

As Zimbabwe continues to navigate economic recovery and climate challenges, the agricultural sector remains a key pillar of growth, with farmers' resilience and Government support delivering promising results across multiple value chains.