By Flata Kavinga
The Minister of Energy and Power Development July Moyo says the country is now food secure due to government-backed climate resilience measures and increased investment in irrigation.
Addressing delegates at the Mighty Men Business Seminar in Kwekwe on Saturday, Moyo said the country had moved beyond concerns over food shortages despite recurring droughts caused by climate change.
“We no longer talk about food. Even when El Niño is coming, because of our climate-proofing strategies, we will feed ourselves,” he said.
Moyo said Zimbabwe was among only two African countries that are self-sufficient in wheat production, alongside Ethiopia, and projected a bumper winter wheat harvest this year.
He said 125,000 hectares had been planted under wheat this winter season, adding that government had allocated 200 megawatts of electricity specifically for irrigation to safeguard production.
“We have ring-fenced 200 megawatts for irrigation and every Thursday we meet with 190 farming groups to assess electricity availability and address challenges affecting irrigation,” he said.
The minister said Zimbabwe had relied on wheat supplies during the severe 2024 drought instead of importing maize.
He attributed the country’s food security to climate-proofing initiatives and improved coordination between the agriculture and energy sectors.
Moyo also addressed electricity supply, acknowledging that the country experienced nationwide blackouts in July last year and again on July 6 this year.
He commended energy sector institutions for restoring power within four hours following the latest outage.
“I must thank the men and women I work with because they were able to put it back after that blackout within four hours,” he said.
Moyo noted that power outages occur in many countries, saying the speed of restoring electricity was equally important.
Turning to economic opportunities, the minister encouraged participants to pursue business ventures, saying Zimbabwe’s economy offered room for entrepreneurs to succeed.
He cited businessman Solomon Matsa, who attended the seminar, as an example of local entrepreneurial success and urged participants to draw inspiration from such achievements.
The Mighty Men Business Seminar brought together business people, entrepreneurs and church members to discuss enterprise development, leadership and economic empowerment.
The minister’s remarks on food security reflect the government’s position. Independent assessments of national food security and agricultural production are published periodically by relevant agencies and development partners.
