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Edgar Vhera

Agriculture Specialist Writer

BUILDING on last year’s feat of saving over US$103 million in crude oil and seed imports, the country has continued its impressive streak by saving an additional US$78 million in the first half of this year.

This comes as Government adopted a raft of measures to revive the economy, which included accelerating import substitution through increased local production.

Statistics released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats), however, show that oil seed product imports declined 55 percent from US$139 372 897 in the first half of 2023 to US$61 740 399 in the comparable period this year.

In volume terms it dropped 13 percent from 126 769 095 to 109 738 035 kilogrammes.

The average cost price also helped the cause by declining 49 percent from US$1, 10 to US$0, 56 per kilogramme.

Oil seed product imports include soya bean, cotton and sunflower seeds together with oil cake and solid residues, crude and refined oil.

These products are mainly for cooking oil production and stock feed manufacturing.

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) recently hosted a post-harvest oilseed indaba were stakeholders noted the need for increased soya bean production initially for stock feed self-sufficiency.

Oil Expressers Association of Zimbabwe (OEAZ) representative, Mr Roderick Musiyiwa said: “The country requires around 250 000 tonnes of oilseeds to meet the annual demand of soya meal. This output can be achieved by producing soya been on 125 000 hectares at an average yield of two tonnes per hectare.”

Speaking at the same indaba, Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA) chairperson, Mr Graeme Murdoch said their members had been increasing soya bean production since 2019.

“The FCCA has increased soya bean production from 11 609 hectares in the 2020/21 season to 30 692 in the 2023/24 cycle, a 164 percent increase.

Output surged 78 percent from 34 827 tonnes to 62 000 over the same period,” the FCCA chair said.

The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) said the area under soya bean rose from 46 158 hectares in 2021/22 season to 55 944 in the 2022/23 period.

Production rose from 82 028 tonnes to 93 086 in the same period.

Oil Expressers Association of Zimbabwe chairman, Mr Busisa Moyo concurred saying the combined influence of increased soya bean production in the past seasons and low international prices on crude oil had resulted in the country saving a lot of foreign currency in oil seed and crude oil imports.

Meanwhile, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere recently revealed that Cabinet received the 2024/2025 plan presented by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka and noted the emphasis on oil seed production.

“The 2024/2025 Summer Plan targets to produce 97 700 000 litres of oil from cotton, sunflower and soya bean with the climate-proofed Presidential Input Support Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) targeting to support 1, 8 million households from communal, A1, small-scale commercial farming, old resettlement and peri-rural households for the production of cereals, oilseeds and legumes,” said Dr Muswere.

The budget for the plan was ZiG22 billion, which was equivalent to US$1, 6 billion.

“The budget is ZiG22 billion or US$1,6 billion. That is the grand plan financed 40 percent by the Government through the Presidential Inputs Programme and 60 percent by the private sector and self-financed farmers and all the other Government guaranteed schemes,” he said.