Farmers have planted 94 percent of the 2024/25 season's targeted sorghum hectarage of 418 000 with the crop's exports from last season's harvest reaching US$1 billion between January 1 and September 30 last year.
The Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Service (ARDAS) weekly report dated January 20 show that 391 251 hectares of sorghum have been planted against a target of 418 000.
A combination of Government and private sector financing models has allowed the country to achieve this feat.
The weekly report showed that the Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA) targeted and contracted farmers to do 14 630 hectares with the growers surpassing the mark by planting 14 707ha.
AFC targeted 3 000ha and so far, 908ha have been contracted with 73ha planted so far.
Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) has set a target of 50 000ha with 15 410ha contracted and 14 962ha planted to date.
The Presidential Input Programme (PIP) targeting 154 215ha has so far contracted 211 581ha and planted 205 446ha, marking a whopping 133 percent increase from the set target.
Self-financing farmers whose target is 196 155ha have so far planted 156 049ha.
Matabeleland South and North provinces have covered 100 percent of their target.
Masvingo province has the largest planted area of 85 164ha, followed by Manicaland at 58 526ha and Mashonaland Central with 55 857ha.
The area planted under sorghum this year has surpassed last year's 176 933ha by a whopping 221 percent.
A total of 1 213 500 beneficiaries have received sorghum seed this year.
The report revealed that the condition of crops was good across provinces with most of the traditional grains (85 percent), which was planted in December at the vegetative stage.
To encourage production of sorghum, the Government has set a pre-planting traditional grain price of US$335, 14 per tonne. The premium prices for maize and traditional grains was to encourage deliveries to Grain Marketing Board (GMB) with the board set to establish mobile depots for easy delivery of maize and traditional grains.
Over the years, farmers with traditional grains were able to swap them for maize at the GMB.
Since last season, the Government announced that input distribution would be guided by a crop suitability map that compelled farmers in agro-ecological regions four and five to plant traditional grains.
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As the populace embraces healthy eating, demand for traditional grains has been increasing with daily mass market price and volume data compiled by Knowledge Transfer Africa (KTA) showing that sorghum grain and meal have been trading throughout the whole year.
A 20-litre tin of sorghum grain ended the year at an average price of US$12 while the five-litre tin of its meal was being sold on an average price of US$6.
Meanwhile, statistics from Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats) show that the country has exported 2 690 042 kilogrammes of unmilled sorghum grain over the period January 1 to September 30 last year.
In value terms the country has earned US$990 619. The average export price was US$0, 37 per kilogramme.
The sorghum was exported to South Africa and Botswana in the first two months of the year. Botswana accounted for 74 percent of the sorghum in volume terms.
