Manicaland is targeting a 75,000-tonne wheat harvest from more than 16,000 hectares as farmers and authorities accelerate preparations to bring the crop in before the onset of summer rains.
Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Professor Obert Jiri assessed harvesting preparations at Greater Sisal Farm in Mutasa District on Monday as the province moves to secure the crop.
Professor Jiri said adequate harvesting machinery was available, while farmers were being organised into clusters to improve coordination and speed up the harvesting programme.
“An adequate number of combine harvesters was available, with farmers being organised into clusters to accelerate harvesting from mid- to late October,” Professor Jiri said.
The provincial government said the expected harvest would strengthen grain reserves ahead of the 2026/27 summer cropping season, which is anticipated to be affected by El Niño conditions.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Advocate Misheck Mugadza said the province was expecting to harvest approximately 75,000 tonnes of wheat from the area under production.
“Manicaland expects to harvest approximately 75,000 tonnes of wheat from more than 16,000 hectares,” Advocate Mugadza said.
The harvest is also expected to increase utilisation of Manicaland’s grain storage infrastructure, which has a combined silo capacity of 56,000 tonnes.
The available storage capacity will provide facilities for handling and safely storing the wheat delivered from farms, supporting the movement of the crop from fields into the grain storage system.
Authorities are now focused on coordinating harvesting machinery and farmers as the crop approaches maturity and the province prepares for the transition into the summer rainfall season.
The timing of the operation is critical because delays could expose wheat still in the fields to the summer rains, potentially disrupting harvesting and grain handling activities.
With more than 16,000 hectares under wheat and a projected 75,000-tonne harvest, Manicaland is entering a decisive stage of the winter cropping season, with the coming weeks set to determine how efficiently the province converts its crop into stored grain before the rains arrive.