By Patience Rashai

Government is set to shore up small grain production in an effort to prop up maize production. Production of the staple food crop has been fluctuating below demand levels due to successive droughts instigated by climate change.

Speaking at a conference on small grain production organized by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) in the capital, the Permanent Secretary of Industry and Commerce, Dr Mavis Sibanda said small grains, sorghum, pearl and finger millet production has been declining since 1998, and the current weather trend was calling for a relook into their production.

“Given the threat climate change poses to maize production Government sees small grain production as the answer. As such there are numerous projects that Government is running to shore up small grain production. We want to do more to see small grain output breaking the 200 000 tonnes mark that we have achieved so far,” she said.

Government is currently coming up with modalities to prop up small grain production to support the already in place projects aimed at beefing up the country’s agriculture yield under Command Agriculture.

Small grains have the ability to persevere in dry and hot conditions hence they are usually adopted by those from farming regions 4 and 5.

Government, together with local non-governmental organizations such as World Food Programme (WFP) has been at the forefront of small grains production advocacy aimed at alleviating hunger and handouts reliance.

Government previously carried out programmes to capacitate small grains production in Hwange, Zvishavane, Chiredzi, Gokwe North and Rushinga under the trilateral South-South Cooperation between Zimbabwe, China and WFP.