Bindura kicks off wheat value addition workshop as...

Bindura kicks off wheat value addition workshop as national harvests soar

**The gap between wheat production (green) and processing (gold) makes the case for initiatives like the Bindura workshop**

Audrey Galawu—Assistant Editor

Today, 10 September 2025, Bindura officially launched the TAAT-Wheat Value Addition Workshop at SOS Hermann Gmeinner High School.

This three-day event is uniting learners, educators, and farmers to master the art of transforming wheat into high-value products such as bread rolls, scones, samoosas, doughnuts, moringa-fortified buns, baobab cookies, and pumpkin cakes.

Organizers believe the initiative will inspire schools, empower rural communities, and architect Zimbabwe’s transition from wheat self-sufficiency to meaningful value creation, improved nutrition, and economic resilience.

Dr. Dumisani Kutywayo, Chief Director of the Department of Research, Education and Specialist Services (DRESS) under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, captured the spirit of this movement: “Catch them young. If we teach students early about the potential of wheat and its value addition, they carry these lessons into their communities and future careers.”

The timing could not be more strategic. Zimbabwe’s journey toward wheat self-sufficiency has gathered real momentum in recent years. According to USDA data, national wheat production rose from an average of about 221,000 tonnes (2020–2024) to 245,000 tonnes in 2024/25 and is projected to reach 250,000 tonnes in 2025/26—a 13 percent increase above the five-year average (IPAD).

In 2023, Zimbabwe produced roughly 468,000 tonnes—exceeding its self-sufficiency goal by 30 percent (ICARDA, CGIAR). More impressively, the 2024 harvest broke new records: 563,961 tonnes harvested across nearly 120,000 hectares, marking Zimbabwe’s largest wheat harvest in decades (UkrAgroConsult, Equity Axis).

Yet value addition remains the missing link. Flour produced locally often still needs blending with imported wheat to achieve quality bread flour, undermining full self-reliance (World Grain). Given a domestic demand estimated at around 360,000 tonnes annually, Zimbabwe still relies on imports for about 30 percent of its high-quality wheat (World Grain, Equity Axis).

With 30 learners, 20 teachers, and stakeholders across the value chain on site, the Bindura workshops signal a shift from raw harvests to baked goods and from food security to economic empowerment.