Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa (right) listens to Nestle Zimbabwe Corporate Communications and Public Affairs executive Mr Farai Munetsi (left) while Zimbabwe Agricultural Society president Mr Ngoni Kudenga (behind)look on during the Maize Value Chain Conference in Harare yesterday. — (Picture by John Manzongo)
Elita Chikwati Senior Agriculture Reporter—
Farmers have started delivering maize produced under Command Agriculture to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), with 1 333 tonnes already having been transported to the board since the harvesting season started a few weeks ago. Farmers who participated in the Government-funded programme planted a combined 240 000 hectares of maize and are expected to deliver five tonnes each to GMB.
Zimbabwe is expecting a bumper harvest of 2,7 million tonnes of cereals of which 2,1 million tonnes are expected to come from maize, while the remaining 500 000 tonnes will come from small grains like pearl millet, finger millet, rapoko and sorghum.
Cotton farmers, who largely participated in the Presidential Inputs Scheme, are expecting 150 000 tonnes.
Cylindrical silos at GMB depots can store 700 000 tonnes of maize, while the bulk of storage space is hard surface with capacity for 3,4 million tonnes.
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GMB requires $23 million for storage resources, including black plastic sheeting, gum poles, rail sleepers, ropes, storage bags, fumigants, fumigant sheets and PVC tarpaulins.
Presenting a paper on the state of preparedness for the 2017 grain marketing season at the Maize Value Chain Conference in Harare yesterday, GMB acting general manager Mr Lawrence Jasi said mobilisation of funds to pay farmers for the delivered grain was under way.
He said the rehabilitation of silos had been complete at some depots.
Mr Jasi said Treasury had already provided over $62,5 million from the National Budget for GMB to handle the marketing season.
“The Agricultural Marketing Authority has raised $34 million through bills and this is available in the GMB Strategic Grain Reserve account at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,” he said. “AMA will also raise $85 million bills.
“The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe will purchase 800 000 tonnes of grain from GMB and has already availed $8 million, which will be used to rehabilitate storage facilities. The first tranche of 50 000 tonnes of maize is on sale towards resource mobilisation.”
Mr Jasi said GMB had 85 depots across the country and had established 1 882 collection points countrywide to enable farmers to reduce transport costs when delivering their grain.
“Collection points reduce transport costs by more than 50 percent,” he said. “There is need to attend to road repairs on some roads to improve access to markets by farmers.”
Mr Jasi said refurbishment of silos was complete at three depots, namely Bulawayo, Aspindale and Banket.
“Work is in progress at Concession and Lions Den and these are expected to be complete by end of April (this month),” he said. “By August, we expect to have finished waterproofing silos.”
Mr Jasi said GMB had already started moving empty grain bags to depots and farmers would start collecting when all modalities had been put in place.
Farmers will buy the grain bags at 60 cents each through stop order.
“Farmers who deliver the grain using the GMB bags will be refunded 40 cents per bag, which means they buy at 20 cents per bag,” said Mr Jasi.
“GMB has a pool of contracted transporters with a fleet capacity of about 15 000 tonnes at any given time. We encourage transporters to continue registering to enable smooth movement of grain to the market. Transport business in excess of $16, 2 million is expected to be generated.”
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made expressed gratitude to farmers who produced crops under Command Agriculture, the Presidential Inputs Scheme and those who financed themselves for doing well this season.
Dr Made said in an interview that he was happy with the level of preparedness for harvesting of different crops, as these were important in food security in relation to human and livestock consumption and also industrial manufacturing and employment.
He thanked Government for coming up with Command Agriculture which enabled farmers to access inputs at low interest rates and the grain millers for their contribution in financing farmers.
On cotton, Dr Made said he was pleased with the preparations for harvesting.
“What is driving the cotton sector is the Presidential Inputs Scheme,” he said. “Very clearly, the crop on the ground is reflective of the completeness of the package that fell under the Presidential Inputs Scheme.”
Cottco has already set 441 buying points.
Gokwe South will have 85 buying points, Gokwe North 79, Sanyati 40, Kadoma 40, Chegutu nine, Hurungwe 14 and Makonde 22.
Rushinga will have 18 buying points, Mt Darwin 22, Bindura seven, Mutoko 11, Mbire 23, and Mazarabani 23, while Guruve will have four and Chiredzi 27.
Zaka will have seven points, Bikita eight, Mwenezi nine, Chivi five, Chipinge, 13, Nyanga three, Buhera three and Mutare three, while Binga will have six points.
Dr Made urged Zimbabweans to guard against veld fires which could destroy the bumper harvest that is predicted following the successful 2016/17 agricultural season.