Wheat harvest tops 187 000 tonnes
MORE than 55 percent of the winter wheat has now reached maturity and being harvested, with more than 187 000 tonnes already in storage.
This comes as wheat farmers and others are working hard to have harvesting completed by mid-November so farmers can transition to planting their summer crops, while at the same time saving the cereal from any damage by early rains.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said farmers should fast track wheat harvesting amid the onset of the rainy season which may affect the quality of the crop.
“Get the grain away from the fields in to the storage so that we protect the quality. We want rain, we do not wish it away. This is a warning that we should finish up harvesting so that we get prepared for the planting of the new season,” he said.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union economist Ms Nyasha Taderera said the already harvested wheat should be kept away from moisture, adding that farmers should accelerate harvesting in preparation for the upcoming season.
“Rains can disrupt quality of wheat, hence farmers should make sure that they protect the crop so that the promising rains cannot compromise quality of the crop. I urge farmers to scale up harvesting,” she said.
Harvesting of winter wheat, which began last month is almost complete, with output expected to top a record 380 000 tonnes, which is 20 000 tonnes more than local demand over 12 months.
Zimbabwe National Farmers Union vice president Mr Edward Dune said harvesting is progressing well and farmers are almost halfway through adding that this year Government secured enough combine harvesters.
“So far harvesting is accelerating, equipment is on the ground and is enough. Very soon they will finish up harvesting. Farmers did not expect early rains so they are busy finishing up before the quality of the crop is damaged by the rains. I urge farmers to speed up the process as we are expecting more rains soon,” he said.
Recently Government mobilised adequate fuel and 248 combine harvesters to bring the record wheat harvest before the main rains.
In Zimbabwe, wheat is the second most important cereal crop after maize.
Last season, farmers produced wheat that covered nine months’ supply of local demand but this harvest is the first ever, since commercial wheat growing started in 1966, that Zimbabwe is reaching self-sufficiency.
Global wheat markets have been affected by the conflict in Ukraine, since that country was a major exporter and Russia, another major exporter, used Black Sea ports in Russia and Ukraine for most of its exports.
Ukraine has gradually ramped up wheat shipments to African countries since 2019, owing to the rising quality of Ukrainian products. About 6,26 million tonnes of Ukrainian wheat was exported to Africa in the 2021-22 marketing year, accounting for nearly 12 percent of African wheat imports.
Russia is one of the largest wheat exporters to Africa and covers about 32 percent of the continent’s wheat consumption. Russia exported about 10,8 million tonnes to Africa in 2021-22, with Egypt being the largest buyer of Russian grain at about 6 million tonnes.