By Kirsty Chibovero
The Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation, and Water Resources Development, Dr Anxious Masuka, has unveiled a comprehensive six-pillar contingency strategy designed to shield the national agricultural sector from climate shocks, while declaring that Zimbabwe is transitioning into a regional agro-industrial power.
Dr Masuka told the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF) Annual General Meeting last week that government is taking preventative steps to secure food and livestock systems.
”As we know, forewarned is forearmed. Government is putting in place a contingency plan, and we are planning for the worst and hoping for the best,” said Dr Masuka.
The six-pillar intervention strategy includes:
Enhanced Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR): Targeting at least 600,000 metric tons in reserve by 2027 through wheat-based food security initiatives and household retentions.
Climate-Smart Production & Accelerated Irrigation: Expanding the Pfumvudza/Intwasa model at the household level and rolling out concessionary irrigation financing for dairy fodder production via the Irrigation Development Alliance.
Mechanisation Expansion: Importing approximately 5,000 tractors through the Mechanisation Development Alliance, adding to nearly 2,000 tractors already distributed under flexible bank financing models accessible to dairy farmers.
Agricultural Financing & Sovereign Risk Insurance: Introducing a new financial architecture that includes exploring sovereign risk insurance mechanisms for livestock and dairy.
Livestock-Focused Interventions: Protecting approximately 2.4 million cattle identified as vulnerable to drought by mobilizing feed, fodder, silaging, water supplies, and deploying 40 government tractors for hay baling across production belts.
Managed Imports & Price Stabilisation: Allowing temporary duty-free household imports through April 2028 and controlled corporate bulk imports for feed and mealie-meal, with the SGR acting as a market price stabiliser.
