Farai Mabeza
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB), has handed over post-harvest storage and mechanization equipment to the government under the Zimbabwe Emergency Food Production Project (ZEFPP).
The package includes 1 000 units of 0.25 metric tonne metal silos, 1 100 units of 1.0 metric tonne metal silos, 70 multi-crop threshers and 5 combine harvesters.
“The Facility was established as a bold and timely response to the global food crisis, driven by disruptions in agricultural input supply chains, climate variability, and rising production risks.
“Our objective has been clear: to support African countries to rapidly scale up food production while strengthening the resilience and inclusiveness of their agricultural systems,” Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe said.
By addressing both production and post-harvest challenges, the intervention targets key constraints affecting smallholder farmers.
The metal silos will help protect grain from pests, moisture and spoilage, significantly reducing post-harvest losses and improving food availability at household and community levels.
AfDB Group Country Manager- Zimbabwe– Eyerusalem Fasika described the investments as critical building blocks for a modern, competitive, and resilient agriculture sector.
“These technologies are designed to ease labour burdens, particularly for women, and improve productivity and enhance incomes for smallholder farming households, including women farmers, who play a very central role in post-harvest handling, but are often disproportionately affected by losses and limited access to equipment,” Fasika said.
The mechanization equipment will enhance harvesting and processing efficiency, enabling farmers to manage larger volumes of produce within shorter timeframes, reduce labour demands and improve the quality of outputs.
Following the handover, FAO will coordinate the distribution and deployment of the equipment through established systems, working with local authorities, farmer organizations and service providers.
Metal silos will be allocated to targeted households and community structures, while threshers and combine harvesters will be deployed through shared-use and service provision models to ensure broad and equitable access.
In addition to the equipment handed over, FAO and AfDB will facilitate the delivery of an additional 62 multi-crop threshers, 10 feed mixers and 10 oil pressers.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Prof. Obert Jiri said post-harvest losses have been a silent thief to the country’s food systems.
“For maize alone, it is admitted that if we are conservative, we lose about 28% of our harvest. For vegetables, losses can reach as high as 45%.
“I\'m sure for those that have gone to our mass markets, Mbare, musika, you will witness these losses that we are talking about. Maybe 45% for vegetables is even very conservative. This is totally unacceptable for a nation that has declared food sovereignty as a non-negotiable objective,” Jiri said.
