Fuel Price Surge Squeezes Zimbabwe’s Farmers And Food Supply
By the time the sun lifts over the tomato tunnels in Macheke, the diesel bill is already waiting.
For 2ha of Trinity tomatoes, farmer Rixon Nyamakura now needs almost 80ℓ of diesel twice a week just to keep water flowing. At a pump price of about US$2,11/ℓ, that fuel alone can swallow more than many smallholders’ entire profit margin.
Across Zimbabwe, farmers, transporters, and input suppliers are feeling the same burn. Fuel prices have spiked on the back of conflict in the Middle East and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, sending shockwaves through the country’s agricultural value chains and raising new questions about how secure Zimbabwe’s food supply really is.
How Rising Fuel Costs Are Hitting The Farm Gate
The pump price of fuel in Zimbabwe has climbed to about US$2,11/ℓ for diesel and US$2,23/ℓ for petrol, according to Farmer’s Weekly, as global crude oil markets react to the war in the Middle East and strains on a key shipping route.
“Production now requires more money at every stage,” said Nyamakura from Macheke in Mashonaland East. “As the rainy season comes to an end, we will be switching back to irrigation, which means we will be largely dependent on fuel. Some farmers may cut back on hectares because the expense of machinery is too high for them.”
Nyamakura’s tomatoes can be harvested over three to four months, giving him a longer cashflow window. Yet that also means months of diesel costs and exposure to price volatility.
FFA Explainer:
Fuel volatility refers to sudden price swings in petrol and diesel caused by global events, currency shifts, or supply disruptions. For farmers, this instability makes it hard to plan mechanised operations, irrigation schedules, and transport – and can quickly turn a profitable crop into a loss-making one.
Fuel doesn’t just power tractors and pumps. It’s baked into every bag of fertiliser and seed packet trucked across borders, every crate of tomatoes hauled from rural fields to Mbare Musika, and every bus that buyers use to reach the market.
Input Costs Climb As Imports Feel The Pressure
Many of Zimbabwe’s agricultural inputs are imported or depend on imported raw materials. That means fuel spikes elsewhere soon show up in local price tags.
“The prices of many inputs – including pesticides, fertilisers, and seeds – may rise, as some come from outside the country,” Nyamakura warned.
He gave a concrete example: one thousand Trinity tomato seeds cost him US$65. For his 2ha block, he bought 40 000 seeds at a total of US$2 600. Every extra cent on transport, storage, and distribution ultimately lands on the farmer’s balance sheet.
Once the crop is ready, another cost line looms: getting produce to market. For Nyamakura, moving tomatoes requires about US$250 to hire a 5t truck to carry 300 crates – even before factoring in fuel for irrigation and field operations.
Mbare Musika Feels The Strain
At Harare’s Mbare Musika, the country’s biggest fresh produce hub, rising fuel prices are starting to reshape how and when produce arrives.
Farmer Prosper Katsande from Sedze in Nyanga, Manicaland, used to rely on buses to move 200 pockets of onions per trip. As bus operators passed rising fuel costs on to passengers and freight, that became unworkable.
“It used to cost me between US$0,50 and US$1 per pocket, but now it is US$2,” he said. “That brings my transport cost to about US$400, excluding bus fares for six people, which are now around US$12 each.”
The arithmetic forced him to change.
“I’m now hiring a truck, which costs less than US$300 per trip. It’s still expensive but easier to manage than buses,” Katsande explained.
To stay afloat, he has had to push prices up.
“We used to sell a 22kg pocket of onions for US$16, but now we sell it for US$24 so we can cover transport costs and make a small profit,” he said.
In his fields, Katsande grows butternuts, onions, and other vegetables, irrigated with river water using a generator – another drain on diesel at US$2,11/ℓ.
Perishable Crops On A Tighter Clock
Fresh produce is always on a countdown. Tomatoes, cabbages, and leafy greens need reliable, timely transport or they simply rot.
Horticulture belts such as Mutoko, Mhondoro, Goromonzi, Nyanga, Domboshava, and Honde Valley supply Harare and other towns with vegetables almost daily. When fuel costs rise, every delay – waiting to fill a truck, searching for a cheaper transporter, or holding out for better prices – raises the risk of spoilage.
“Sometimes we have tomatoes, cabbages, and butternut ready for market, but if you do not have affordable transport and you delay delivery, the produce will go bad and incur losses,” said Goromonzi farmer Ottknow Mupakaviri.
He has been supplying Mbare Musika with about 3 000 heads of cabbage every day, but that volume has slumped.
“Since the [war] in the Middle East began, my business has slowed. I used to push 3 000 heads of cabbage daily, but now I’m only selling 300,” he said.
The impact is not only on the supplier side. Higher fuel costs have also changed customer behaviour.
“Fuel [costs] have affected everyone, as some of our clients can no longer afford the bus fare to travel to market,” Mupakaviri explained. A 10t truck he used to hire for US$150 now costs about US$220, he said.
His only real lever is price. “I have no option but to charge US$1 for five heads of cabbage, instead of US$1 for two, so I can make a small profit rather than let them rot,” he added.
FFA Explainer:
Price transmission describes how changes in costs – like fuel or fertiliser – move along the value chain, from farmer to transporter to wholesaler and, finally, to consumers. When transport becomes more expensive, farmers either raise prices, absorb losses, or cut back production. All three options can threaten food security.
What This Means For Food Security
Individually, the stories from Macheke, Nyanga, and Goromonzi sound like personal misfortunes. Together, they hint at a systemic risk.
When fuel spikes:
- Smallholders may reduce planted area, especially for irrigated horticulture crops that rely on diesel pumps.
- Transport to markets like Mbare Musika becomes more expensive, pushing up urban food prices.
- Perishable crops face higher spoilage rates when farmers delay deliveries.
- Input costs rise, making it harder for farmers to afford quality seed and fertilisers.
For low-income urban households already spending a large share of income on food, any increase in the price of onions, tomatoes, or cabbage can mean fewer vegetables on the table. That undermines nutrition and progress towards UN SDG 2 on Zero Hunger.
It also complicates Zimbabwe’s own National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) ambition to boost agricultural output and stabilise food prices. Rising fuel costs are an external shock, but their impact is multiplied by local gaps in transport infrastructure, storage, and market organisation.
Fuel-Conscious Farming: What Experts Recommend
Ivan Craig, sales and marketing director at Agriseeds and chairperson of the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority, argues that farmers must adapt their operations to this new reality.
“Farmers must use wisdom in their operations and focus on methods that do not lead to loss. Train your staff properly, make sure nothing goes to waste, and use every resource wisely,” he said.
For Craig, this starts with planning and disciplined management of inputs.
“Don’t use tractors and heavy machinery unless it’s necessary, as they consume a lot of fuel and can quickly drive up costs,” he warned, calling on farmers to strike a balance between economic viability and practicality.
He also urged producers not to discard tried-and-tested methods in the rush for modern equipment.
“Don’t shy away from using ploughs with cattle where appropriate. [Traditional farming methods] are not outdated, as they are often the most sustainable and cost-efficient,” Craig noted. “Wise farmers balance modern technology with proven practices, ensuring productivity while safeguarding profitability.”
FFA Explainer:
Fuel-conscious farming means designing operations to use as little fuel as possible per tonne of output. This can include minimum tillage, animal traction, grouping operations to reduce unnecessary trips, using gravity-fed or solar pumping where viable, and prioritising crops and markets that give better returns per litre of fuel used.
Practical steps farmers are considering across districts like Goromonzi and Nyanga include:
- Shifting some land back to animal draught power for primary tillage.
- Scheduling irrigation and spraying to minimise repeated trips and idling time.
- Forming local groups to jointly hire trucks to markets, sharing transport costs.
- Exploring solar-powered pumps for small irrigation schemes where investment is possible.
Improving irrigation efficiency and tightening post-harvest handling can both help farmers squeeze more value from each litre of diesel burned.
Government’s Position: Watching, Waiting – For Now
Asked how government might respond to the fuel-driven squeeze on farmers, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development was cautious.
“It’s too early to comment or craft a policy on how the Middle East war is affecting our farmers,” said Permanent Secretary Prof Obert Jiri, in response to questions from Farmer’s Weekly.
That wait-and-see stance leaves many producers in limbo. Some are hoping for targeted interventions – tax relief on agricultural diesel, improved access to concessional seasonal finance, or accelerated investment in rail and storage networks that can reduce long-haul road dependence.
Others argue that the best protection is building resilience on-farm: diversifying crops, cutting waste, and embracing low-fuel methods that fit Africa’s long-term climate and energy realities.
Linking Fuel, Climate, And Africa’s Long-Term Vision
The fuel shock comes at a time when Africa is also under pressure to adapt to climate change and deliver on AU Agenda 2063 commitments for inclusive growth and sustainable agriculture.
Solar pumps and more efficient irrigation systems can reduce diesel dependency but require upfront capital many smallholders lack. Better rural roads can cut fuel consumption and post-harvest losses but demand long-term public investment. Integrating livestock and crops can make animal traction more viable, but that too takes support and training.
For women and youth farmers, who often operate on the thinnest margins and have the least access to credit, the intersection of high fuel prices and climate stress is particularly sharp. Yet they’re also among the quickest to experiment with new approaches, from drip irrigation to shared transport co-operatives.
Climate-smart horticulture – choosing varieties, irrigation methods, and marketing strategies that cut fuel and water use – is emerging as one of the most promising paths forward.
From Global Shock To Village-Level Choices
The war in the Middle East may feel far from Macheke’s tomato rows or Goromonzi’s cabbage plots. Yet its ripple effects are now written into every fuel receipt, every haggled transport quote, and every adjusted price at Mbare Musika.
Nyamakura’s 80ℓ diesel bill for irrigation, Katsande’s US$400 onion transport dilemma, and Mupakaviri’s switch from two to five cabbages per US dollar are small data points in a larger story: Zimbabwe’s food system is tightly linked to global energy markets.
The longer fuel stays expensive and volatile, the more urgent it becomes – for farmers, agribusinesses, and policymakers – to rethink how food moves from field to fork. Some of those answers will come from cabinet offices in Harare. Many will be hammered out at ground level, in choices about whether to fire up the tractor, yoke the oxen, share a truck, or plant a crop that uses a little less diesel to reach the same hungry tables.
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