Gazette Fingaz 
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) has rolled out a wide-ranging summer cereals production programme spanning 100 000 hectares, as part of efforts to enhance national food security in the 2025/26 farming season.
The initiative will see 30 000 hectares put under irrigated maize, with a further 60 000 hectares reserved for traditional grains. Harvests from the programme are expected to supply the Strategic Grain Reserve while also serving private sector markets.
According to ARDA, maize planting under the programme was completed in November, while planting of traditional grains had reached 88 percent completion as of yesterday.
The production drive is being implemented across ARDA estates, irrigation scheme business units, A1 and A2 joint venture outgrowers, as well as clustered smallholder farmers operating in the country’s eight farming provinces.
ARDA said the initiative leverages technology and structured partnerships to translate national food security policy into tangible output. The authority has also scaled up the production of traditional grains in line with Government policy promoting agro-ecological tailoring of crops.
Under the programme, ARDA is providing farmers with working capital in the form of fertilisers, chemicals and climate-smart seed varieties for traditional grains, while irrigating maize farmers are being supported with inputs to sustain production.
The authority said the approach is designed to boost productivity, enhance resilience to climate variability and contribute to stable grain supplies in the 2025/26 season.
