Staff Writer 
THIS year’s rains have revived more than fields, they have revived confidence.
Expanded planting, greener provinces and encouraging early crop assessments point to a harvest that could reshape growth prospects, temper inflationary pressures and lift rural incomes. For an economy so deeply anchored in agriculture, this matters profoundly.
When nearly two million hectares are put under maize and tobacco hectarage climbs meaningfully, the signal is unmistakable. Farmers have responded to the weather with renewed ambition.
If the season continues to favour them, food security will strengthen, import bills will ease and foreign-currency inflows will rise.
The multiplier effects will ripple through transport, manufacturing, retail and finance. Optimism, in this instance, is grounded in soil and seed.
It is also grounded in arithmetic. Agriculture underpins a substantial share of output and employment. A robust harvest can anchor a five percent growth trajectory and, under supportive conditions, justify more ambitious projections.
Rural stability improves when granaries are full. Disposable incomes rise when yields do. The psychological lift alone can encourage investment and consumption.
Yet, jubilation must not breed complacency.
Rainfall totals are only half the story, distribution and timing are decisive. Uneven patterns and intermittent dry spells have already reminded growers that nature’s generosity is rarely uniform.
Pests and moisture stress can quickly erode the promise of early-season abundance. A shortfall in staple output would feed directly into food prices and, in turn, headline inflation.
Agriculture too cannot carry the economy unaided. Strong harvests will not, by themselves, neutralise monetary instability or structural weaknesses.
Inflationary pressures are shaped more by policy credibility and liquidity management than by the size of the maize crop. Fiscal discipline, access to affordable finance and sustained reform remain indispensable companions to other variables.
This season offers a rare alignment of climate and opportunity. Authorities must seize it wisely. That means ensuring timely support, strengthening pest surveillance, safeguarding irrigation where possible and maintaining macroeconomic prudence. It means converting a cyclical windfall into structural resilience.
The rains have set the stage. Whether this moment becomes a turning point depends not only on what falls from the clouds, but on what is built upon the ground.
