Small grains prioritised as Treasury warns of drought risk
Parliamentary Watch
Government plans to prioritise drought-tolerant small grains under Pfumvudza/Intwasa in Natural Regions IV and V as its 2027 budget strategy warns that an anticipated drought could threaten food production and rural livelihoods.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s 2027 Budget Strategy Paper, identifies anticipated El Niño conditions as a major risk to the 2026/27 agricultural season.
Treasury says the climate-proofed presidential inputs programme will be realigned with agro-ecological conditions, prioritising small grains in Natural Regions IV and V alongside an expansion of summer irrigation.
Government also targets replenishing the Strategic Grain Reserve to 500,000 metric tonnes by early 2027.
The strategy proposes constructing and rehabilitating irrigation schemes, maintaining existing infrastructure and introducing solar-powered irrigation systems to reduce dependence on rainfall.
Private sector participation would be sought through the Irrigation Development Alliance.
The paper also signals a shift in agricultural financing. Under the National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme, financing for the 2026/27 season would be facilitated through private banks, an approach Treasury says is intended to reduce direct government financing of agriculture.
It does not set out lending rates, collateral requirements or how farmers unable to access bank credit would be accommodated under that arrangement.
The drought warning also extends beyond farming. Treasury says reduced agricultural output could undermine revenue collection, increase food-assistance spending and affect hydropower generation.
Its proposed response includes food assistance, agricultural inputs and measures allowing social protection programmes to expand as conditions change.
The strategy therefore makes timely delivery of inputs, functioning irrigation and accessible assistance central to its drought response, but provides no district-by-district implementation schedule.
