The 2025 cotton-buying season is scheduled to begin on June 1, with the Government finalising consultations on prices for various cotton grades, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere announced on Tuesday.
Addressing the 13th post-Cabinet media briefing, Dr Muswere said the necessary infrastructure was now in place to support the season's operations, with 211 permanent buying points and 476 mobile buying stations established across the country.
Turning to tobacco, Dr Muswere reported significant progress, revealing that as of May 16, a total of 189 million kilogrammes of tobacco had been sold at an average price of US$3.38 per kilogramme. This marked a 21 percent increase in volume compared to the same period in the previous season, which recorded 151 million kilogrammes sold at an average price of US$3.52 per kilogramme.
Dr Muswere also gave an update on the 2025 Winter Cereals Plan, highlighting ambitious production targets. These include 600,000 metric tonnes of wheat from 120,000 hectares, 39,000 metric tonnes of barley from 6,500 hectares, and approximately 236,000 metric tonnes of potatoes from around 8,700 hectares.
He noted that a total of 29,372 hectares of wheat had already been planted across the country. Mashonaland West led with 9,751 hectares, followed by Mashonaland Central with 5,524 hectares, Mashonaland East with 4,095 hectares, and Manicaland with 1,952 hectares. Other contributions included Midlands with 3,081 hectares, Masvingo with 1,031 hectares, Matabeleland North with 1,525 hectares, and Matabeleland South with 2,413 hectares.
Providing further insight into the country's food security, Dr Muswere said Cabinet had received an update on the national winter wheat report. He cited findings from the Second Round Crops, Livestock, and Fisheries Assessment report of April 12, 2025, which confirmed that Zimbabwe currently has adequate grain reserves at the national level.
To ensure smooth operations, resources will be made available to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to facilitate timely payments for incoming grain deliveries. Additionally, the Government is pressing ahead with the construction of 14 grain silo depots across the country. Dr Muswere noted that the Kwekwe depot had already been completed and officially commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The updates reflect the Government's continued efforts to strengthen agricultural productivity and improve national food security through targeted support and infrastructure development.
- the chronicle
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