Government has unveiled a six-pillar drought preparedness plan for the 2026/27 agricultural season as it moves to cushion the country against the effects of a possible El Niño weather phenomenon.
Addressing journalists in Harare this Wednesday, Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) chief director Medlina Magwenzi said the ministry had begun planning early after indications that the upcoming season could experience drought conditions, although no official El Niño declaration has yet been made.
The plan is anchored on strengthening the strategic grain reserve, promoting climate-smart agriculture, mobilising agricultural financing, protecting livestock, facilitating food imports where necessary and enhancing coordination and early warning systems.
“We are happy to note that as a ministry, we have realised that we need to plan early. But while we are planning early, we have realised that when the upcoming 26-27 season could have some drought elements," Magwenzi said.
“We are already planning looking at a drought plan in a manner that we are going to have El Niño, despite not yet announced,” she added.
Magwenzi said the government was also factoring in external pressures affecting agricultural production, including rising fertiliser and fuel costs.
“We are having challenges of fertilisers and fuel. Fuel is available because the is trying make it available, but it is expensive,” she said.
She said although El Niño has not yet been officially declared, there were high probabilities that the weather phenomenon could develop, prompting government to prepare using the severe 2023/24 season as the benchmark.
“There are high probabilities that are already indicating that we could have this El Niño, which could be dry or could be wet, because not all El Niños are droughts. Some El Niños bring in those cyclones, which means that you can have some rains here and there.
“We are planning using the worst scenario case of 2023-2024 because it was so severe and we feel the 2026-2027 will be like that,” she said.
She said government was setting aside grain from successive summer and winter harvests.
“We are also scaling up the Pfumvudza/Intwasa conservation agriculture programme to one million hectares, encourage irrigation, mulching and region-specific crop production, while continuing to work with contract farming partners and promoting climate-smart insurance.
“We have realised that Pfumvudza/Intwasa is now a way of farming in Zimbabwe,” she said.
She added that households and the private sector were allowed to import basic food commodities and livestock feed where necessary until March 2028.
“People should know now that the season will not be as lucrative as others and they have to plan on which type of crops.
“Let’s not panic, but instead let’s plan, execute and be ready at the end of the day. The bottom line is to make sure that Zimbabwe is food secure everywhere and every day,” Magwenzi said.