Sandra Maziwisa
Business Reporter
The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) says all companies and individuals intending to buy horticultural products next should first register with the authority.

The categories of institutions or individuals that are required to register are commercial traders and wholesalers, small to medium scale traders (handling below 100 tonnes per month) and individual traders intending to buy up to 30 tonnes per month.  AMA said it had set the registration fees at US$125 for small scale traders and US$350 for large scale buyers. Registration is mandatory as provided for in the Agricultural Marketing Authority Act, supported through Statutory Instrument 147 of 2012.

“It allows AMA to effectively monitor and regulate production and marketing in this sun sector,” said AMA chief executive Clever Isaya

The authority also said growers of horticultural crops should also register with AMA to be added to the growers’ database in order to facilitate the development of market linkages for orderly marketing of their produce.

Mr Isaya also said the idea was to bring orderliness to the production and marketing of all agricultural products in Zimbabwe.

“Traders in the informal sector have an opportunity to regularise their businesses and have an opportunity to benefit from both the Government and private sector led support programmes,” said Mr Isaya

The authority is also expected to ensure that A1, A2 and other resettled farmers and businesses are linked to vibrant markets for growth of the industry by December in pursuit of vision 2030.  AMA is mandated with the overall regulation of the production, marketing and processing of agricultural products in Zimbabwe and also to provide a conducive regulatory environment for sustainable marketing and production of crops.