Farmers need to grow small grains, sunflower
WEATHER forecasters have predicted that Zimbabwe will receive belownormal to normal rainfall, associated with extreme weather conditions such as heat waves and dry spells, during the 2023/2024 cropping season.
FARMERS need to take a long, hard look at the issue and come up with appropriate actions in the face of an imminent El Niño. The phenomenon is expected to affect Africa in varying degrees.
The Government has responded by focusing on key touch points, namely, adaption, mitigation and action. This is our armour against the effects of climate fluctuations.
“Whether we have El Niño or not, we have a formula for climate-proofing and producing food. Government is working tirelessly in building resilience through programmes such as the climate-proofed Pfumvudza/ Intwasa,” Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Prof Obert Jiri said recently.
He went on to urge farmers to select crops suitable for their agro-ecological regions in fighting climate change.
Farmers should play ball by making deliberate decisions such as prioritising the planting of drought-resistant crops, going into the 2023/2024 cropping season. The promotion of small grains such as millet, sorghum, rapoko and cowpeas has become topical due to their drought-tolerant characteristics.
Sunflower is one crop that is often overlooked, but can come in handy in the face of climate fluctuations. The crop is known for its ability to thrive in hot weather. This characteristic makes it well-suited for cultivation in regions or times when unfavourable weather conditions are anticipated.
Sunflowers are cultivated for their seeds, which are a valuable source of oil and food.
Their adaptability to hot weather conditions is a result of their traits, which enable them to withstand high temperatures and drought stress. Sunflowers have mechanisms to cope with hot weather. They include a deep root system that allows them to access water from deeper soils during dry periods.
Additionally, sunflowers have developed efficient water-use strategies, which means they can tolerate hot temperatures by adjusting their internal processes. These adaptations make sunflowers resilient in hot climates, allowing them to thrive and produce high-quality seeds even under challenging environmental conditions.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), which facilitated Zimgold’s entry into sunflower farming, is calling on other private players to invest in the production of small grains through contract farming arrangements to spur production and productivity along this value chain.
Zimgold, which has since set up an oil processing plant in Chegutu, is looking at contracting farmers to grow the crop on more than 40 000 hectares (ha) across the country.
CBZ and AFC banks, which are other sunflower contractors, are targeting 3 000ha and 2 000ha, respectively.
Sunflower is an important crop in edible oil production
For the 2023/2024 agricultural season, the Government has set up a national target of 160 000ha to be put under sunflower production, with a target output of 150 000 tonnes.
“Sunflower is an important crop in edible oil production, especially at this time when the country is staring at an El Niño phenomenon,” Zimgold supply chain manager Zach Mupachike said.
He said farmers should embrace sunflower production because the crop is drought-tolerant. The promotion of sunflower production fits into Government’s thrust of diversifying food sources and growing crops according to agroecological potential to increase output.
Estimates indicate that Zimbabwe requires between 50 000 tonnes and 70 000 tonnes of sunflower per year. If the hectarage set to be put under sunflower by Zimgold is anything to go by, it seems the crop will once again find its place at the top of preferred cash crops.
Contract farming guarantees growers markets and capital to buy inputs. A guaranteed market will also minimise post-harvest losses. Local farmers can now seamlessly produce enough for national consumption. Zimbabwe needs 150 million litres of cooking oil per annum. The country has ideal climatic conditions for sunflower production. The crop thrives even in drier parts of the country. It has immense benefits that arise from a low input cost, a short growing period, less labour costs and tolerance to dry conditions.
A sunflower farmer in Chegutu was optimistic despite the prospects of a drought. “Since we were told that the country is going to receive below-normal rains this year, I have to increase my sunflower hectarage. One of the advantages of sunflower is that it can thrive even when there is moisture stress and is also an early maturity crop,” Chipo Moyo said.
There is a consensus on the need for improved higher-yielding varieties. Seed companies have a big role to play — providing the best-yielding varieties with a high oil percentage.
Local seed manufacturer Mukushi Seeds says its variety, Veronica, is ideal for most areas in Zimbabwe. This variety has, on average, 52 percent-53 percent oil. Sunflower production is lucrative. Currently, the average market price of the crop is US$400 per tonne.
Apart from being used in edible oil production, sunflower is also used in the production of livestock feed and confectionery products. Sunflower cooking oil is of better quality, compared to the one extracted from soya beans and cotton seed. Its market price is also higher than that of the available alternatives.
On the production front, the international average yield for the crop stands at 1,6 tonnes per hectare, and with good agronomic practices, farmers can surpass this figure. Russia is the largest global producer of sunflower. Argentina, the European Union, China, India, Turkey and South Africa are significant producers of the crop. Zimbabwe could benefit from import substitution, food and nutrition security, and employment creation if it increases its sunflower production.