Farmers Face El Niño Threat as Government Rolls Out Drought Plan and Fee Cuts

Gweru — Zimbabwean farmers must innovate or risk losing up to a third of rain-fed maize yields under a predicted strong El Niño season, Zimbabwe Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka has warned.

Speaking during the official opening of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union’s 86th Annual Congress at The Village Lodge in Gweru, under the theme “Harnessing Innovation for Resilience,” Dr. Masuka said meteorological forecasts point to below-normal rains throughout the 2026/27 season.

“If left unchecked, climate change could reduce our rain-fed maize yield by as much as a third by mid-century. In light of this, innovation becomes a necessity,” he told delegates.

The Minister described agriculture as the country’s largest employer and primary defence against hunger.

Yet he expressed concern that farmers remain price-takers while carrying heavy production costs and a long list of taxes, development levies, land unit charges, environmental penalties, veterinary fees, toll gates and licensing obligations.

“These additional costs do not enhance productivity but rather increase the financial burden of farming,” Masuka said.

He announced that government has already approved a downward review of several agricultural fees and levies and continues ease-of-doing-business reforms so that farmers can invest in innovation rather than compliance.

A National Drought Plan built on six pillars has been activated, he said.

The plan includes rebuilding the Strategic Grain Reserve in advance, accelerating Pfumvudza/Intwasa and climate-smart practices, coordinating financing from Treasury and partners, securing livestock feed and water points, pre-positioning imports where needed and strengthening early-warning systems down to village level.

Minister Masuka at the 86th ZFU Congress in Gweru.

Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) is represented on three of the pillars, with Dr. Masuka saying the union’s vision of a resilient, commercialised and viable sector aligns with National Development Strategy 2, which lists agricultural productivity and food security among the country’s top ten priorities.

Long-term measures are also under way, the Minister said.

He said Pfumvudza/Intwasa is expanding from 718,000 hectares last season to a target of one million hectares through better basin preparation, mulching and timely planting.

Irrigation development under the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) and Vision 2030 Accelerator Model aims to reach nearly half a million hectares by 2030 through joint ventures that give communal, A1 and A2 farmers a real stake, he said.

New technologies such as artificial intelligence, satellite imagery and drone surveillance are being rolled out to more than six thousand extension officers, he said.

Local seed systems, tissue-culture potato production and biological alternatives to imported chemicals, he said, are being strengthened so that planting decisions are less dependent on exchange rates or border issues.

Minister Masuka told ZFU congress delegates that import levies on maize, soybeans, soya meal and wheat will channel proceeds into the Agricultural Revolving Fund to finance irrigation and farmer development.

“The government lacks the financial resources and the intention to mechanise, irrigate and digitise the agricultural sector independently,” Masuka said, “I encourage the private sector and development community to collaborate with the government.”

He urged the congress to hold government accountable for delivering the innovations at ward and village level, not merely on demonstration plots.

Declaring the congress open, Masuka expressed confidence that Zimbabwe’s farmers, as they have always done, will assess conditions honestly and adapt before harvests are lost.