Why Import What We Can Produce? Zimbabwe’s Next Wheat Chapter
The wheat heads in the Chegutu irrigation schemes were already turning gold when the question cut through the celebrations at the National TAAT Wheat Field Day 2026:
Why import what we can produce locally?
Zimbabwe has pushed its winter wheat story from the margins of commercial farming into the centre of national food security. Wheat, once a specialist crop grown mainly under large-scale irrigation, is now a staple pillar that helped cushion vulnerable families during the 2024 drought. Yet as El Niño looms again and climate risks sharpen, government, researchers, seed houses, millers, and farmers are being challenged to write the next chapter.
Speaking at the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Wheat Field Day, the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Professor Dr Obert Jiri, captured the new national mood.
“It is not our desire to import what we can produce locally,” said Prof Jiri, setting out an agenda that goes beyond yields towards resilience, value addition, and a more secure future for Zimbabwean bread and porridge bowls.
Wheat’s New Role In Zimbabwe’s Food Basket
For years, maize has carried the emotional weight of Zimbabwe’s food security debates. Wheat, by contrast, sat quietly in the background – a technical crop for irrigated blocks and industrial bakeries. That picture is changing fast.
According to Prof Jiri, Zimbabwe’s wheat area has expanded from around 60,000 hectares in 2020 to more than 130,000 hectares, while average yields have risen from about 2 tonnes per hectare to more than 5.3 tonnes per hectare across all sectors. Smallholder farmers, once mostly on the sidelines of winter wheat, are now entering the fields in greater numbers, backed by contract schemes, irrigation rehabilitation, and targeted government support.
Those numbers are no longer just impressive statistics. During the 2024 drought, wheat grain was among the foods distributed to vulnerable households. That decision showed how the crop is shifting from a narrow commercial product into what Prof Jiri called an important food-security crop. It now sits alongside maize, small grains, and pulses in the national hunger-defence plan.
FFA Explainer:
Winter wheat is typically grown under irrigation between May and September in Zimbabwe, when temperatures are cooler and pest pressure is lower. This allows farmers to use dams, canals, and boreholes during the dry season, spreading income and food supply across the year, rather than relying only on the main rainy season.
From 60,000 Hectares To 130,000: A Visible Transformation
The expansion from roughly 60,000 to more than 130,000 hectares in just a few seasons represents one of the clearest turnarounds in Zimbabwean agriculture. Average yields more than doubled in the same period, rising from about 2 tonnes per hectare to over 5.3 tonnes per hectare.
Behind these gains are several forces pulling in the same direction: stronger participation by smallholders, bigger private-sector investment, and a deliberate policy push to close the wheat import bill. The TAAT Wheat Programme has become one of the visible drivers, helping move proven technologies from research stations into farmers’ fields.
On demonstration plots and commercial fields alike, TAAT-supported work is helping farmers improve agronomy – from planting dates and fertiliser regimes to irrigation scheduling and integrated pest management. The aim is simple: better productivity and better returns for farmers, especially those running one or two centre pivots, small canal blocks, or family-owned plots under irrigation.
FFA Explainer:
TAAT – Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation – is a multi-partner initiative designed to speed up the adoption of tested agricultural technologies across African countries. In wheat, this includes improved seed varieties, better fertiliser blends, irrigation practices, and mechanisation support, all tailored to local conditions.
Climate Pressure And The El Niño Test
Yet even as the wheat story turns positive, climate realities are tightening. Zimbabwe is already preparing for El Niño-related risks that could affect water availability, energy supply for pumping, and the broader agricultural calendar.
This is where Prof Jiri’s challenge cuts deepest. Maintaining recent gains will not be enough. The wheat sector must adapt to a hotter, drier, and more uncertain future, aligned with the country’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and broader commitments under the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Prof Jiri called on researchers and breeders to accelerate the development of higher-yielding, drought-tolerant, disease- and pest-resistant varieties that require less water. He also urged a fresh look at the old question of summer wheat – whether some areas, under specific management, could safely host wheat in the warmer months as climate patterns shift.
“Wheat has evolved from being largely a technical and commercial crop into an important food-security crop,” he said. The message was clear: national expectations are rising, and science must keep pace.
Can Zimbabwe Close The Remaining Wheat Import Gap?
Despite the surge in production, Zimbabwe still imports some wheat to satisfy particular market needs. One of the main gaps is hard wheat, which is preferred for certain baking and industrial uses because of its strong gluten and specific milling qualities.
Prof Jiri acknowledged this challenge but pointed to concrete work already under way. Breeders and seed houses are developing varieties with hard-wheat characteristics to reduce the need for imports. He highlighted Nhema as one such variety that is currently being bulked for increased seed availability to farmers.
FFA Explainer:
Hard wheat varieties typically have higher protein and gluten strength, which makes them suitable for bread and some industrial products. Soft wheat is better for biscuits, cakes, and some household flours. A balanced mix of both types helps millers produce different products without relying on imports.
The hard-wheat push is not only about replacing imports. It signals a broader ambition: to give local millers, bakers, and food processors the full range of wheat they need from domestic fields. That would keep more foreign currency at home and stabilise supply chains when global markets are disrupted.
From Grain To Gain: Building A Value-Adding Wheat Economy
Prof Jiri’s challenge, though, stretches beyond the farm gate. Producing more grain is only the first step. The bigger opportunity lies in what Zimbabwe can do with that grain before it leaves the country or lands on a supermarket shelf.
He urged the sector to focus on local value addition – using Zimbabwean wheat to make Zimbabwean products, processed in Zimbabwean plants, creating Zimbabwean jobs. That means more milling, baking, pasta production, breakfast cereals, stockfeeds, and speciality products grounded in local wheat streams.
“Zimbabwe must also add value locally, innovate, and develop more products from locally produced wheat,” he said. The goal is a domestic wheat economy where farmers, millers, bakers, transporters, and traders all earn more from the same hectare of irrigated land.
The TAAT Wheat Programme is already leaning into this shift. Beyond on-farm technologies, it is working with partners to extend the value chain into processing and value addition – the step sometimes summarised as moving from grain to gain. For smallholders, that could mean better contract terms with millers who value quality and consistency. For youth and women, it could mean opportunities in agro-processing, packaging, and retailing wheat-based products in townships and growth points.
Zimbabwe’s Wheat Story On The Ground
Across the country, the transformation is being written field by field. In Mazowe, new irrigated blocks under government and private finance have brought smallholders into winter wheat for the first time, some under contract with major millers. In Insiza and Umguza, farmers who once left centre pivots idle after maize harvests now see winter wheat as a key income stream that balances the risk of erratic rains.
In Mashonaland West, farmers around Chinhoyi talk about the difference between the old days of 2-tonne yields and the new era of 5 tonnes and beyond, grounded in better varieties and tighter agronomic management. These local stories echo the national figures shared by Prof Jiri: more land, higher yields, and a wider share of farmers participating in wheat.
For Zimbabwe, this shift aligns directly with NDS1’s focus on food self-sufficiency, jobs, and rural development. It also supports AU Agenda 2063’s call for modern, productive agriculture and the UN SDGs on zero hunger, decent work, and climate action.
Partnerships Powering Wheat Resilience
The National TAAT Wheat Field Day 2026 was more than a technical demonstration. It was a showcase of partnership – government agencies, research institutions, private seed companies, input suppliers, financial partners, development organisations, and farmer representatives all sharing the same platforms, plots, and questions.
The Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, the Agricultural Research Council of Zimbabwe, and private firms such as SeedCo, Bayer, Nutrimaster, Intaba Trading, BoltAgro Southern Africa, and others reflected a broad coalition that has anchored recent wheat gains. Development partners, including organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), continue to support early warning, early action, and climate-resilient planning.
Media houses like The Herald and ZBC, together with communication partners such as Baroque Creative Group, helped carry the story from the field day to homes, offices, and policy tables across the country.
Field day organisers were clear: as Zimbabwe prepares for El Niño-related risks, these partnerships are not optional. They are central to resilient agricultural production, technology uptake, and national food security.
“The National TAAT Wheat Field Day 2026 was a huge success, made possible by the invaluable support and participation of our financial, development, and private-sector partners,” organisers said, extending a public thank you to those who, in different ways, have stood with Zimbabwe’s farmers.
What Comes Next For Zimbabwean Wheat?
Three threads will likely define the next chapter of Zimbabwe’s wheat story.
- Climate resilience: Developing and deploying varieties that thrive with less water and under higher temperatures, supported by smart irrigation, energy planning, and early warning systems.
- Import replacement: Closing the hard-wheat gap and sharpening grain quality to give local millers what they need from local fields, especially as global markets remain fragile.
- Value addition and jobs: Building a domestic wheat economy where more of the value – from flour to pasta, noodles, and stockfeed – is created inside Zimbabwe, opening doors for youth and women in agribusiness.
Each of these threads will demand tough conversations: about water allocation between crops, about pricing and payment systems that reward quality, about extension support for smallholders, and about the right mix of incentives for private investors.
Yet the tone at the field day was not one of anxiety. It was of determination. Zimbabwe has already shown that, with the right tools and partnerships, wheat can move from a vulnerable import line on a balance sheet to a proud line of green-and-gold fields on the winter horizon.
As the sun dipped behind the centre pivots and farmers shared stories over cups of tea brewed with local wheat bread on the side, Prof Jiri’s earlier words lingered in the air like a promise.
Why import what we can produce locally? For Zimbabwe’s wheat sector, the answer is becoming clearer every season. The work now is to keep that promise alive, field by field, loaf by loaf.
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