GOVT RACES TO BEAT DROUGHT WITH EARLY SEED DISTRIBUTION, CLIMATE-SMART VARIETIES

GOVT RACES TO BEAT DROUGHT WITH EARLY SEED DISTRIBUTION, CLIMATE-SMART VARIETIES

*HARARE* – Government has begun early preparations for the 2026/27 summer cropping season with a push to deliver climate-smart seed to farmers before the first rains, as forecasts point to a drier than normal season.  

Speaking during a wheat field tour and briefing at Valley Seeds Juru Depot on Tuesday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Dr. Obert Jiri, said early planning was critical to help farmers mitigate against drought.  

“We plan early for the coming season. We note, of course, that it's a drier season, drier than normal, and we need to then prepare early so that our farmers will be able to mitigate against the drought,” Dr. Jiri said.  

He said the ministry was on site to check progress on seed processing and to ensure inputs are in place on time. Under the Presidential Input Support Programme, government targets to procure about 10,000 tonnes of maize seed this season.  

“We want ordinarily around 10,000 for the Presidential Input Support Program for seed, and we are happy that our major supplier, whom we have come to check today, has enough of that maize seed. Now processing is in progress,” he said.  

Dr. Jiri said focus would be on early and ultra-early maturing varieties suited to a dry season. “We have said that as we get this dry season, we need early maturing varieties, maybe maximum medium maturing varieties.

 We wanted to check to say do we have enough of the ultra early maturing, the early maturing, and the medium maturing varieties. And we have seen that we do have enough of the climate smart varieties that we want to roll out.”  

The PS said distribution would be guided by agro-ecological regions to ensure farmers get the right crop for their area. Maize will be prioritized for Regions 1, 2 and 3, while traditional grains will be prioritized for the drier Regions 4 and 5.  

“Agroecological matching entails that the environment and the area dictates what the farmer should grow. This is why we want Region 1, Region 2, Region 3 to get maize because maize would ordinarily do better in those regions. And then we go to the dry regions, Region 4 and 5, where we would prioritize traditional grains.”  

All Grain Marketing Board depots have been identified as distribution points, with seed to be deposited there as it becomes ready from suppliers. Dr. Jiri added that government would also use “virtual depots” to allow direct delivery to farmers to cut handling time.  

“All our GMB depots are ready and if need be, we'll also use virtual depots, which means seed may go directly to the farmers without having to upload and reload at some GMB depots. From the GMB depots, our distribution committees are already known. They are there, they will distribute the seed to the farmers.”  

He said the goal was to have inputs in farmers’ hands before the first rains. The ministry also cited Statutory Instrument 61 of 2024, which he said protects farmers and seed against the fall armyworm as processing continues.  

“Early planning will ensure that come the first rains, the farmers will already have their inputs and they will be able to plant with the first rains, which is very critical as we approach a drier than normal season.” said.  PS Prof. Jiri.