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Midlands Bureau Chief

The Midlands province has started harvesting wheat and expects over 36 000 tonnes of the winter crop.

The province surpassed its target of winter wheat following the extension of the planting period by Government to increase production of the strategic crop.

Having set a winter target of 6 450 hectares this season, the province achieved a record 7 378 hectares and is anticipating to harvest over 36 000 tonnes.

The bulk of the planting was done under the Government guaranteed CBZ Agro-Yield Programme, while the other hectares were funded by private contractors as well as through the Presidential Winter Wheat Scheme.

DCK Farm in Kwekwe is one of the contributors to the 7 378 hectares the province recorded after putting a record 750 hectares under winter wheat.

Workers at the farm, like others across the province, started harvesting the crop on Monday.

In an interview yesterday, Midlands Provincial Agronomist, Mr Innocent Dzuke said they are excited about a record harvest they are expecting as a province.

“We expect about 36 890 tonnes in the province from a total of 7 378 hectares planted with an average yield of five tonnes per hectare,” he said.

Mr Dzuke said at the moment combine harvesters were not available.

“We require about five combine harvesters in the province so that farmers speed up wheat harvesting because we are facing the Quelea birds challenge but we are working with the crop protection department for the control of the birds,” he said.

Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) leasing company general manager Mr Shepard Kondo assured farmers that adequate combine harvesters have been procured to ensure the wheat crop is harvested before the onset of rains.

“We have secured new and efficient combine harvesters to lease to farmers to clear their wheat crop ahead of the rain season. So we would like to assure the nation that we will make sure we save the farmers and wheat from the rains,” he said.

Mr Douglas Kwande, of the fast-growing Douglas and Claris Kwande (DCK) investments which owns DCK farm, confirmed that they started harvesting the wheat on Monday.

“We started wheat harvesting on Monday and we are progressing well. The crop matured very well and we are excited about it,” he said.

Mr Kwande said they put 750 hectares under wheat from 300 hectares last year.

“As a private player, we are complementing the Government’s efforts in making the country wheat secure as we move into the future,” he said.

The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka last week said in the 2017/2018 season, the country produced wheat that was consumed for two to three months.

He said wheat production changed after President Mnangagwa put in a robust agriculture transformation strategy to ensure sufficient wheat production.

“This year we have a record 80 000 hectares of wheat to produce over 384 000 tonnes of wheat against our national requirements of 360 000 tonnes. In fact, over the past three years we have been consuming an average of 330 000 tonnes of wheat,” said Dr Masuka.

Government has since set a target of 384 000 tonnes of wheat from this season, making it likely that for the first time since commercial wheat farming started in the 1960s, Zimbabwe might be self-sufficient.