• Maize imports dropped significantly in May 2025, falling from $43 million in April to $31.5 million
• The country has faced a drought that slashed maize production by 60% in the 2024–2025 season
• Reviving the agricultural sector involves expanding irrigation, supporting farmers, and adopting climate-resilient practices

Harare- Zimbabwe’s maize imports plummeted in May 2025, nosediving from a hefty $43 million in April to a mere $31.5 million, a dazzling turnaround sparked by a stellar harvest season that roared to life by January 2025 with bountiful rains.

This is according to the latest trade data from Zimstat.

The nation, scorched by a ferocious 2024 drought, one of the cruellest in 40 years, saw its fields reborn, easing the crushing reliance on maize imports that soared to a record $85 million in December 2024 and $75 million in January 2025.

Since 2021, maize imports have ballooned to $1.2 billion, with 2024 alone racking up $606 million as the country scrambled to offset a battered harvest.

This dramatic drop in imports signals a flicker of hope for Zimbabwe’s agricultural heart, hinting at a revival for a sector battered by nature’s fury.

The 2024 drought didn’t just parch fields; it sent shockwaves through Zimbabwe’s economic core, gutting maize and tobacco production and dragging down titans like National Foods and Innscor, who leaned hard on costly imports to keep shelves stocked.

Zimplow, a giant in agricultural machinery, and SeedCo, a seed retail powerhouse, saw revenues crumble as farmers faced barren lands, while TSL, tied to tobacco, and Nampak, a packaging titan, reeled from the ripple effects.

The drought, a merciless beast, exposed Zimbabwe’s Achilles’ heel: a woeful lag in irrigation infrastructure.

With only 90,000 hectares of its 4.13 million hectares of arable land under irrigation, the nation’s reliance on erratic rains left it vulnerable, forcing a dependence on foreign grain to feed its people.

Zimbabwe’s maize production has been a saga of glory and collapse since 1980.

In 1981, the country was a regional breadbasket, churning out a peak of 2.7 million metric tonnes, enough to feed its population and export surplus.

By contrast, the 2024–2025 season hit a grim low of 635,000 metric tonnes, a 60% plunge from 2023’s 1.5 million tonnes, ravaged by an El Niño-driven drought.

For the 2024–2025 season, Zimbabwe has set a bold target of 3.3 million metric tonnes for cereals, with maize at 2.5 million tonnes and small grains like sorghum and millet at 800,000 tonnes.

The nation needs 2.2 million metric tonnes annually, 1.8 million for its 16.7 million people and 400,000 for livestock.

Yet, with just 2% of arable land irrigated, the country remains at the mercy of fickle rains.

The fall from breadbasket to begging basket is a tale of climate cruelty and policy missteps.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Zimbabwe was a regional agricultural powerhouse, producing enough maize to meet domestic demand and export to neighbouring countries.

This earned it the "bread basket" moniker.

However, the early 2000s marked a turning point with the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme, launched in 2001.

Aimed at correcting historical land ownership imbalances, the program displaced experienced commercial farmers and redistributed land to smallholder farmers.

While well-intentioned, this shift led to a significant drop in productivity.

Many new farmers lacked the skills, resources, and government support needed to maintain output levels, causing maize production to plummet.

Between 2001 and 2016, Zimbabwe’s share of Africa’s maize production fell to an average of just 2%, turning the country into a net importer of maize.

Economic mismanagement compounded these issues, with hyperinflation and currency instability further undermining the agricultural sector.

As a result, maize consumption began to outpace production by an average of 550,000 tonnes annually, setting the stage for chronic food insecurity.

Climate change, particularly severe droughts, has been a major contributor to the decline in maize production.

The 2023/24 season brought one of Zimbabwe’s worst droughts in 40 years, driven by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

This drought devastated over 900,000 hectares of maize, slashing production by 60% to just 635,000 tonnes well below the national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes (1.8 million for human consumption and 400,000 for livestock).

The country’s heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, over 90% of smallholder farmers depend on rainfall left it acutely vulnerable to such climatic shocks.

Historically, Zimbabwe’s maize output has fluctuated with weather patterns, but the lack of resilience in the system has magnified the impact of dry spells.

Maize imports soared to a record $606 million in 2024, with peaks of $85 million in December 2024 and $75 million in January 2025, reflecting the urgent need to bridge the production gap during drought years.

While the 2024/25 season showed signs of recovery, maize imports dropped from $43 million in April to $31.5 million in May 2025 due to better rains, the underlying vulnerability remains.

A critical factor in Zimbabwe’s maize production woes is the lack of investment in irrigation infrastructure.

Despite boasting 4.13 million hectares of arable land, only a small fraction is irrigated, leaving most farmers dependent on erratic rainfall.

This dependency has proven disastrous during drought years, driving up import costs and exacerbating food insecurity.

In 2013, the government released just $36,000 of a promised $250,000 for irrigation maintenance, and the 2014 budget allocated a mere $138,000 for refurbishment, paltry sums given the scale of the problem.

Recent efforts, such as the CAWEP initiative backed by the UNDP with $14.8 million to improve water access and refurbish irrigation systems, signal progress.

However, these programs are still in their infancy and have yet to significantly boost national production.

Without widespread irrigation, even innovations like drought-resistant maize varieties developed by companies such as SeedCo cannot fully mitigate the impact of water shortages.

The decline in maize production has reverberated across Zimbabwe’s economy, affecting industries reliant on agricultural output. Companies like National Foods and Innscor, which process maize into food products, have faced increased costs due to reliance on imports.

Zimplow, a supplier of agricultural machinery, and SeedCo, a seed retailer, have seen downturns in demand as farmers struggle with low yields.

Similarly, TSL (linked to tobacco) and Nampak (a packaging firm) have felt the broader agricultural slump, highlighting the interconnectedness of these sectors with maize production.

Reviving Zimbabwe’s maize sector requires addressing both climatic and structural challenges.

Expanding irrigation schemes would reduce reliance on rainfall, stabilise production, and cut import costs.

This could unlock the potential of unused arable land and boost output toward the target of 2.2 million tonnes annually.

Training, access to finance, and resources for new farmers are essential to improve productivity post-land reform.

While SeedCo’s drought-resistant maize varieties are a step forward, broader adoption of crops like sorghum and millet, better suited to dry conditions, could diversify and strengthen the agricultural base.

Consistent funding and prioritisation of irrigation and water management are critical to long-term success.

The 2024/25 season’s improved rains offer hope, but meeting the needs of a projected 16 million population demands sustained effort beyond seasonal fluctuations.

Therefore, Zimbabwe’s journey from a bread basket to a begging basket reflects a complex interplay of factors: the disruptive land reform program, recurring droughts worsened by climate change, and a chronic lack of irrigation investment.

These challenges have transformed a once self-sufficient nation into one dependent on imports, with maize shipments rising to $1.2 billion since 2021.

To reclaim its agricultural prominence, Zimbabwe must prioritise irrigation, farmer support, and climate-resilient practices, steps that could stabilise maize production and reduce the begging bowl’s burden.

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