Matabeleland North Farmers Urged To Fast-Track Winter Wheat Planting
Farmers in Matabeleland North have been urged to move with speed on their winter wheat preparations, after fresh figures showed the province is still far from meeting its allocated planting target for 2026.
Addressing growers at a Winter Wheat Seminar, Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) Chief Director, Mrs. Magwenzi, warned that the slow pace of land registration could undermine both provincial performance and Zimbabwe’s wider food security agenda.
She reminded farmers that wheat has become a lifeline crop after last season’s drought, with many communities now relying on it for both sadza and bread.
Targets Missed: 3,000 Hectares Vs 1,700 Registered
Nationally, Zimbabwe is targeting 125,000 hectares of wheat this winter season, part of a broader drive to secure cereal supplies under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and Vision 2030. Within that total, Matabeleland North has been allocated 3,000 hectares, based on its commercial farming capacity and irrigation potential.
Yet, according to Mrs. Magwenzi, only 1,700 hectares had been registered by the time of the seminar — just over half of the provincial target.
“We need to close this wheat planting gap,” she told farmers, urging them to finalise land preparation, seed orders, and irrigation scheduling without delay. [Illustrative — verify or replace]
She stressed that every additional hectare planted under irrigation this winter would help stabilise national flour supplies and reduce the need for imports later in the year.
Wheat’s New Role In Drought-Hit Diets
Last season’s drought has reshaped consumption patterns across rural and urban Zimbabwe. With maize yields suppressed in many districts, wheat products have taken on a new importance in household diets.
In parts of Matabeleland North, families have turned to wheat-based sadza and bread as reliable staples when maize meal is scarce or expensive. This shift has sharpened the focus on winter wheat as a strategic crop, not a supplementary one.
FFA Explainer:
Winter wheat in Zimbabwe is grown under irrigation from around April to July, when cooler temperatures favour the crop. Because it does not rely on unpredictable summer rains, winter wheat is central to food security planning, provided that irrigation infrastructure, inputs, and timely planting are in place.
For Matabeleland North, where climate shocks are frequent, a strong winter wheat season can cushion both commercial and smallholder farmers from the worst effects of failed summer crops.
Inputs On The Table: Contractors And The Presidential Input Programme
To counter fears about costs, Mrs. Magwenzi assured farmers that production resources were readily available.
She pointed to two main avenues:
- Commercial contractors – providing inputs and markets under contract farming arrangements, and
- The Presidential Input Programme – offering free seed, fertiliser, and chemicals to qualifying smallholder farmers.
Under the Presidential Input Programme, support is extended to smallholder farmers and irrigation schemes with up to three hectares across the country, including those in Matabeleland North.
“Inputs should not be the reason hectares remain idle this winter,” she said, encouraging growers to register plots, work closely with local ARDAS officers, and tap into available schemes. [Illustrative — verify or replace]
For many irrigators in districts like Lupane, Binga, and Hwange, this support structure could mean the difference between leaving centre pivots idle and running them at full capacity with a cash-earning crop.
Closing The Gap: A Call For An “Outstanding” Winter Effort
Mrs. Magwenzi challenged Matabeleland North farmers to make the 2026 winter season an “outstanding effort,” turning the current registration shortfall into a late surge in actual planting.
That will require:
- Rapid completion of land preparation and levelling,
- Early confirmation of input delivery with contractors and depots,
- Close attention to irrigation scheduling from planting to grain fill, and
- Strong coordination between farmers, ARDAS officers, and scheme managers.
Her appeal dovetails with national efforts to turn every irrigated hectare into a productive one under programmes such as Pfumvudza/Intwasa and the broader irrigation rehabilitation push championed by Government.
Practical guides on winter wheat management — from variety choice to fertiliser timing — are expected to play a growing role as more smallholders in traditionally livestock-dominated provinces like Matabeleland North step into cereal production.
Matabeleland North’s Place In National Food Security
While provinces like Mashonaland West and Midlands often dominate national winter wheat statistics, Matabeleland North’s 3,000-hectare allocation is a strategic piece of the puzzle.
The region’s irrigation schemes and commercial farms can help diversify production away from the traditional grain belts, spreading climate risk and anchoring food supplies closer to bread and flour markets in Bulawayo and surrounding towns.
For smallholder farmers, winter wheat also offers a chance to smooth income across the year, complementing summer crops and livestock with a hard-currency-generating grain that is in constant demand from millers.
As Zimbabwe pushes towards self-sufficiency in wheat, Matabeleland North’s performance this winter will be watched closely — not just by policymakers, but by households whose sadza and bread now depend as much on the cold-season crop as on summer maize.
The message from the Winter Wheat Seminar was unambiguous: the inputs are there, the water is there, and the market is waiting. What remains is for every eligible farmer to bring their hectare into production and help close the gap between the 3,000 hectares allocated and the 1,700 already registered.
If they do, this winter could mark a turning point — from underused irrigation schemes to a province firmly on the wheat map, and a country one step closer to true food security.
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