Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has acquired moisture meters for farmers to test their grain before delivery in an effort to manage the risk of receiving grain with high moisture content.

Some farmers have been turned away from GMB depots because their grain would be having high moisture levels that are not acceptable.

GMB corporate communications manager, Mr Joseph Katete, on Thursday said a total of 1 900 additional moisture meters had been purchased for farmers. “Based on last season’s experiences, we decided to acquire sufficient stock of moisture meters to assist farmers with moisture testing in their fields before grain deliveries are made to the GMB,” he said.

“We have, therefore, procured 1 900 moisture meters for this purpose. We’re also working with Government to invest in driers, which will be strategically located at our depots countrywide, to further assist farmers, especially in the wheat growing areas to manage the problem of high content moisture.”

Mr Katete was speaking during a media tour of the parastatal’s Bulawayo depot. He said during the 2017/18 season, GMB received about $36 million from
Government towards procurement of grain storage resources, which resulted in mobilisation of about 70 percent of total estimated requirements.

Mr Katete added that the parastatal had begun procuring grain storage resources for the 2018/19 marketing season.

“The GMB is also considering automation and mechanisation of its processing, particularly grain handling and storage to avoid costs being passed on to Government in the form of lower grain handling and storage costs,” he said.

“In this regard, a total of 104 stacker machines are being procured to improve efficiency during loading and offloading grain.”

GMB collected more than one million tonnes of grain delivered to its depots countrywide during the 2017/18 marketing season and more than 95 percent of the farmers have been paid.

The parastatal has said it last received deliveries of such magnitude during the 1994/95 season. The intake is composed of 1 200 006 tonnes of white and yellow maize, 184 419 tonnes of wheat and 91 825 tonnes of small grains, which include red and white sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet. GMB has also received 23 787 of other grains such as soya beans, unshelled groundnuts, shelled nuts, sunflower, round nuts and edible beans.

@pamelashumba1