By a Correspondent
Zimbabwe is projecting a cereal production deficit of about 663,000 metric tonnes in the 2026/2027 agricultural season as the Government prepares for a predicted super El Niño weather phenomenon and rising fertiliser and fuel costs linked to geopolitical tensions.
Cabinet on Tuesday approved an update to the 2026/2027 Summer Plan, incorporating the Drought Plan, with projected cereal production estimated at 1.61 million tonnes against national requirements of approximately 2.27 million tonnes.
According to the 34th Post-Cabinet Press Briefing on October 20, the anticipated shortfall will require increased mobilisation of grain for the Strategic Grain Reserve and limited imports to meet national food requirements.
The Government said the coming agricultural season faces two major threats: a predicted super El Niño and geopolitical tensions that are pushing up fuel and fertiliser prices while disrupting supplies.
The risks come after Zimbabwe experienced its worst drought since 1980 during the 2024/2025 agricultural season, prompting renewed efforts to strengthen national food security and climate resilience.
Cabinet said the 2026/2027 Summer Plan would be anchored on six strategic interventions: strengthening the Strategic Grain Reserve, accelerating climate-smart agricultural production, improving agricultural financing, mitigating livestock drought risks, enhancing imports and strengthening coordination, early warning systems and capacity-building support.
The Government plans to build a dedicated Strategic Grain Reserve of 600,000 metric tonnes by October 2027, using purchases from the 2025/2026 summer harvest and the 2026 and 2027 winter cropping seasons.
The initiative will be supported by new artificial intelligence-powered silos, according to the Cabinet briefing.
The reserve is intended to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to food shortages and reduce vulnerability to drought-related production losses.
Zimbabwe is also expanding conservation agriculture through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, which targets 16 million plots during the 2026/2027 season.
As of today, 7,603,250 plots had been established, representing 47.52% of the target and covering 475,203 hectares.
The Government is also prioritising irrigation development, with more than 112,000 hectares identified for maize production under irrigation.
Financing for the summer agricultural season has been mobilised from Government, the private sector and self-financing farmers.
The Government will allow duty-free imports of basal and top-dressing fertilisers to address anticipated shortages in domestic production amid elevated prices and expected logistical delays.
The move is intended to improve the availability of critical agricultural inputs as farmers prepare for the summer cropping season.
The Cabinet briefing also noted that Statutory Instrument 59 of 2006 allows households to continue importing basic commodities duty-free until March 2028, a measure intended to cushion consumers against price shocks.
The Government previously authorised the importation of 150,000 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 100,000 metric tonnes of urea under Statutory Instrument 214 of 2025.
The anticipated drought also threatens the livestock sector, with 2,236,203 cattle projected to be at risk in 2027, according to Cabinet.
To mitigate the threat, the Government is continuing to establish Ward Drought Mitigation Centres, a programme launched in 2024 that aims to establish a centre in each of the country’s 1,527 rural wards.
The centres are intended to provide cattle dipping, livestock feeding and marketing services to help farmers protect their animals and sustain livelihoods during periods of drought.
The Government will also promote the resilience of small-stock production, including goats and poultry, as well as fisheries.
Cabinet said a whole-of-government and whole-of-society coordination mechanism had been adopted to improve planning, information-sharing and early intervention as weather conditions evolve.
The Government will continue providing updates on the 2026/2027 summer season and its implications for agriculture, water supplies, energy, animal diseases, human health, livelihoods and the wider economy.
