GOVERNMENT has sent a team of officials to visit key crop-producing provinces in preparation for the 2025/26 summer cropping season as it enters its final stage, NewsDay Farming understands.
On Tuesday, the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development ministry sent a team, led by its permanent secretary Obert Jiri, to visit the Mashonaland Central province as part of a national tour to ensure farmers are adequately supported.
This comes as Zimbabwe is expecting another better harvest for the current 2025/26 season buoyed by better rainfalls.
“We are on a mission to go around the country to assess the status and the situation regarding our plantings, as we have now almost finished our planting season,” Jiri noted during his assessment at Kilmer Farm in the province.
According to the ministry, farmers in Mashonaland Central have officially surpassed the provincial target of 270 000 hectares, a milestone Jiri described as a demonstration of the hard work and resilience of the local farming community.
Jiri reassured farmers that the government is moving swiftly to address any remaining input gaps.
“Top-dressing fertiliser is now cleared for supply; expect delivery in the next few days,” he confirmed.
As the country prepares for the January 2026 Crop Assessment, the permanent secretary’s message was one of confidence.
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“We have the land, we have the rain, and now we have the inputs. Farmers have done extremely well. Let’s squash our targets!” Jiri said.
The ministry has issued a strict three-point directive for the coming weeks for its national tour.
That is:
“STOP: Maize & tobacco planting. The biological window for planting maize and tobacco has officially closed. Any further planting of these crops risks poor yields due to the shortening of the growing season. The focus must now shift entirely from planting to crop management.
“START: Traditional grains (deadline: Mid-January). There is still time to utilise every remaining inch of arable land. Farmers have until mid-January to plant short-season traditional grains and oilseeds, thus: Sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet and sunflower.
“PROTECT: Your investment. With heavy rains pounding many parts of the country, the ministry warns that vigilance is non-negotiable. Scouting: Check fields daily for climate-related pests and diseases; Weed Control: Overgrown weeds compete for nutrients. Use herbicides or cultivators immediately; Fertiliser Management: To prevent leaching during heavy downpours, use Split Application (applying in smaller, staggered amounts). Only apply top-dressing during rain breaks.”
Jiri said rural soils were “tired” and “wasted” from years of continuous use.
“To transform your farm into a growing business, you must treat your soil as your primary infrastructure.
“Farming is a business of ‘mending the soil.’ To farmers across Zimbabwe, let’s move beyond simple cultivation toward soil amelioration.”
He cited one of the farmers who had converted sandy soils into highly productive soils through organic intervention.
“The lesson, therefore, to all of us today, is the basis of good crop production is a good soil... and a good soil is a ‘mended’ soil,” Jiri said.
