Let me now turn to the food security situation in the country.
Zimbabwe requires 2.2 million tonnes of grain yearly to meet her needs. Our food security strategy also requires that we maintain stocks of about 500 000 tonnes as our Strategic Grain Reserves.
This means we are comfortable with yearly grain stock levels of 2.7 million tonnes. All the investments we are doing in the food sector are aimed at meeting that goal.
The 2020-2021 season was a very good one. We managed 2.7 million tonnes, making our nation food secure without having to import grain.
The last time we had enjoyed a comparable position was in the 1984-1985 season. Thereafter, our food security was buttressed through supplementary food imports. This is the situation we seek to change through accelerated water harvesting and expanded irrigation programme, thus making ourselves less vulnerable to vagaries of the weather.
The just-ended 2021-2022 season has not been that good. It was slow to start and characterised by poor and erratic rains. As if that was not bad enough, the country was hit by a severe early-to-mid-season drought which subjected most crops to severe moisture stress.
As I indicated, five provinces were hit hardest and could not recover. Because of that, our harvest has come down to 1.8 million tonnes, 400 000 tonnes short of our yearly national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes.
Thankfully, our Strategic Grain Reserves, SGR, hold 500 000 tonnes from the 2020-2021 season.
That means we exceed our yearly national grain needs by some 100 000 tonnes, which we expect to remain in SGR until the next harvest. We thus are food secure.
Of course, all this means our grain stocks under SGR will fall below our target of 500 000 tonnes.
That situation should be addressed through the accelerated irrigation programmes we are implementing in readiness for 2022-2023 season and beyond. It is the goal of the Second Republic to make our nation food-secure for all times, whatever the weather maybe in any one season.
I have since directed Government to start working on an efficient food distribution system nationally, so enough grain is quickly moved to all areas in need. This should not be very difficult given than most depots across the country still hold healthy stocks from the previous season. As before, no Zimbabwean need go hungry because of the season’s lean harvest; we have enough grain stocked up.
Should it become necessary, our Security Arms will weigh in to ensure grain reaches needy, far-flung areas. Arguably more than any other country in our region, we have an efficient intervention system in times of national need or disasters. That system is already being activated.
Beyond food distribution, Government must ensure the nation is ready for the 2022-2023 season.
In essence, this means Government must ensure the farmer is able to go back to the land with great expectation in the coming season.
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