THE government is working to meet the winter wheat planting target as the May 31 deadline fast approaches, with about half of the targeted hectarage already planted.
Zimbabwe is targeting 125 000 hectares of wheat this season, expected to yield about 662 500 tonnes, supported by expanded irrigation capacity, public-private partnerships and timely distribution of inputs.
With just days left before the planting window closes, authorities say the country is racing to close the remaining gap in hectarage amid efforts to avoid late planting, which typically reduces yields and undermines national food security targets.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development permanent secretary Obert Jiri said as of May 25, about 70 000 hectares had been planted, representing 54% of the target. He said the country was ahead of last year’s planting pace despite delays caused by slow drying conditions following the summer cropping season.
“We have planted 54%, which is almost 70 000 hectares of the 125 000 that we are targeting this season. We still have a gap which must be breached in the next six days, so our planting should end by the 31st of May,” he said.
“We know that many farmers are still transitioning from summer to winter cropping due to slow drying caused by low temperatures, but farmers are now speeding up their harvesting to ensure that they plant wheat within the remaining winter period,” he said.
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Jiri urged farmers to complete planting within the recommended window to avoid low yields associated with delayed planting.
He said irrigation would play a critical role in supporting the winter wheat programme, with dams still holding significant water following good rains received during the summer season.
“Following the good season that we had in the 2025-26 summer season, our dams were left at over 93% full and we expect 8% of our wheat to be fed off irrigation from these dams.
“The remaining large dams will provide irrigation for at least 66% of this season’s winter wheat crop. So far, the country has enough water for the season and even if there is no rainfall next season, dam levels remain high following the good rains received during the last summer season,” Jiri said.
He said government was pushing irrigation schemes to adopt the V30 Accelerator Model under the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority framework to ensure they operate as commercial business units.
Jiri highlighted that irrigation schemes should be able to access financing, enter production contracts and reinvest profit in future cropping cycles.