2024/2025 Summer Season Production Plan

By Sam Mupedziswa 

THE Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Honourable Dr. A. Jongwe Masuka, updated the Cabinet on the 2024/2025  summer season production plan which focuses on food, feed crops, oilseeds and industrial crops. These will be produced for both local consumption and export.

It comes on the back drop of an El Nino-ravaged 2023/2024 summer season and the meteorological forecast has predicted a good rainfall season, with normal to above-normal rains. 

To further aid farmers in planning for the season, government has issued planning, pre-planting and  marketing crop prices at appropriate periods of the season. 

 Dr Anxious Masuka updating the Cabinet said, “the pre-planting prices of maize, traditional grains and sunflower will be issued later this October, for the first-time ever. A cotton pre-planting price will also be announced.”  He added that the plan targets to increase production of cereals to 3 274 200 metric tonnes. 

A total of 5,9 million plots(63%) have been prepared under Pfumvudza/Intwasa. Over 40000 metric tonnes of basal fertilizer out of the targeted 90000 metric tonnes are now at GMB depot’s ahead of the 2024/2025 summer planting season launch in Buhera tomorrow. 

Minister said, they are contracting farmers under National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme and a total of 52000 hectares has been targeted to be contracted to produce 256000 metric tonnes of maize, traditional grains, soyabeans and sunflower.

He said, “the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) will contract 100000 hectares in order to produce 390000 metric tonnes of maize and 112000 metric tonnes of sorghum.” 

The private sector are mandated by policy to ensure that at least 40% of it’s annual raw material requirements are met from value chain financing farmers. Government has set a target of 95 046 hectares under maize, soybeans, sorghum, potatoes, sugar beans, and sunflower.