News / National
Zimbabwe revises upwards agric sector growth to 21.1%
2 hrs ago | Views
The government has sharply revised upwards its projected growth for the agricultural sector to 21.1% in 2025, up from an earlier forecast of 12.8%, largely due to the positive impact of the La Niña weather phenomenon, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced during the 2025 Mid-Year Budget and Economic Review last week.
This revision follows a challenging 2023/24 agricultural season severely affected by an El Niño-induced drought, which dampened production.
"The surge is largely attributed to the positive impact of the La Niña phenomenon, which enhanced production across key crops, including tobacco, maize and traditional grains," Minister Ncube said.
The government's assessment was informed by the Second Round Crop and Livestock and Fisheries Assessment (CLAFA 2), conducted jointly by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat). The report projects substantial increases in output for almost all major crops.
However, the minister cautioned that challenges remain, including the late onset and early cessation of rains, the planting of early maturing crop varieties, and post-harvest losses, which could potentially reduce yields.
In support of agriculture and climate resilience, development partners have disbursed over US$5.2 million through various agencies to boost production and mitigate climate change impacts. Several projects are still in early stages but are expected to ramp up disbursements throughout the year.
Among key initiatives are the Green Climate Fund intervention, Climate Adaptation Water and Energy Infrastructure Programme, Agriculture Value Chain Enhancement Project, and the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF). A successor fund, ZRBF II, launched in April 2025, aims to benefit 2.5 million people in Manicaland, Masvingo, and Matabeleland South provinces.
The CLAFA 2 report forecasts a maize harvest of 2.3 million tonnes for the 2024/25 season. Small grains are projected at 634,650 tonnes, including sorghum (436,784 tonnes), millet (188,261 tonnes), and rapoko (9,605 tonnes).
"In total, 2.9 million tonnes of grain are projected to be harvested for the 2024/25 agricultural season. This output is more than adequate for the national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes for both human and animal consumption, leaving a surplus of over 700,000 tonnes," Minister Ncube said.
The government's Grain Marketing Board (GMB) plans to procure at least 100,000 tonnes for strategic reserves, purchasing grain at US$376 per tonne, with payments split 70% in US dollars and 30% in local currency. So far, GMB has procured 25,812 metric tonnes valued at US$7.3 million and ZiG83.1 million.
The favourable rainfall also improved water and pasture availability, contributing to an estimated growth in the national livestock herd. Beef cattle numbers increased by 0.4% to 5,741,397, dairy cattle rose by 8.7% to 65,659, and sheep increased by 0.5% to 746,277 compared to 2023 figures.
Conversely, goats declined by 4% to 4,883,669, and piggery decreased by 0.4% to 301,747.
Beef production is projected to grow by 5% to reach 107,000 tonnes in 2025, up from 104,000 tonnes in 2024. Meanwhile, milk production in the dairy industry is expected to increase by 15%.
This revision follows a challenging 2023/24 agricultural season severely affected by an El Niño-induced drought, which dampened production.
"The surge is largely attributed to the positive impact of the La Niña phenomenon, which enhanced production across key crops, including tobacco, maize and traditional grains," Minister Ncube said.
The government's assessment was informed by the Second Round Crop and Livestock and Fisheries Assessment (CLAFA 2), conducted jointly by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat). The report projects substantial increases in output for almost all major crops.
However, the minister cautioned that challenges remain, including the late onset and early cessation of rains, the planting of early maturing crop varieties, and post-harvest losses, which could potentially reduce yields.
In support of agriculture and climate resilience, development partners have disbursed over US$5.2 million through various agencies to boost production and mitigate climate change impacts. Several projects are still in early stages but are expected to ramp up disbursements throughout the year.
The CLAFA 2 report forecasts a maize harvest of 2.3 million tonnes for the 2024/25 season. Small grains are projected at 634,650 tonnes, including sorghum (436,784 tonnes), millet (188,261 tonnes), and rapoko (9,605 tonnes).
"In total, 2.9 million tonnes of grain are projected to be harvested for the 2024/25 agricultural season. This output is more than adequate for the national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes for both human and animal consumption, leaving a surplus of over 700,000 tonnes," Minister Ncube said.
The government's Grain Marketing Board (GMB) plans to procure at least 100,000 tonnes for strategic reserves, purchasing grain at US$376 per tonne, with payments split 70% in US dollars and 30% in local currency. So far, GMB has procured 25,812 metric tonnes valued at US$7.3 million and ZiG83.1 million.
The favourable rainfall also improved water and pasture availability, contributing to an estimated growth in the national livestock herd. Beef cattle numbers increased by 0.4% to 5,741,397, dairy cattle rose by 8.7% to 65,659, and sheep increased by 0.5% to 746,277 compared to 2023 figures.
Conversely, goats declined by 4% to 4,883,669, and piggery decreased by 0.4% to 301,747.
Beef production is projected to grow by 5% to reach 107,000 tonnes in 2025, up from 104,000 tonnes in 2024. Meanwhile, milk production in the dairy industry is expected to increase by 15%.
Source - Newsday
