Zimbabwe: Zim Targets 600 000-Tonne Grain Reserve Amid El Niño Threat

What the report says

Zimbabwe is working toward building a 600,000-metric-tonne strategic grain reserve by October 2027 as it prepares for the expected effects of a strong El Niño weather pattern, according to a report carried by AllAfrica from 263Chat. The government says the plan is part of broader food-security measures intended to strengthen grain storage, expand irrigation and support drought mitigation for vulnerable households and livestock.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Zhemu Soda said in a post-Cabinet briefing in Harare that the reserve held 365,688 metric tonnes of grain as of 9 November 2026. He said the state is using artificial intelligence-enabled silo systems under the Strategic Grain Reserve programme, while the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency has supplied most of the reserve’s intake. The government’s household grain contribution initiative has also added several thousand tonnes to stocks, according to the report.

The article says Zimbabwe is also widening climate-resilient farming under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, with most of the planned plots already established, and is rolling out drought mitigation centres across rural wards. Irrigation expansion and soil fertility mapping are also part of the response. The report adds that the country has recorded a strong wheat harvest from the 2026 winter season, but warns that drought could still strain livestock, with millions of cattle said to be at risk. As background, El Niño events often bring hotter, drier conditions to parts of southern Africa, increasing pressure on food production and water supplies.