Murehwa farmers resort to barter trade
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Farmers here have resorted to selling their maize at a pathetic price of $2
a bucket amid concerns that the Grain Marketing Board is giving them a raw
deal.
27.06.1210:56am
by Sofia Mapuranga
They told The Zimbabwean it was better to sell their maize at $2 rather than
have their money tied up by the GMB “who take forever to pay.
“Last season, GMB paid us very late and also a pathetic amount for our
maize. We ended up regretting taking our maize there,” said Gogo Sheila
Matake (62).
She said traders, mostly from Harare, offered food and clothes in exchange
for maize.
Fibeon Mwayera from Ward 13 in Murehwa said he decided to sell his maize
after realising that failure to do so would see his crop destroyed by pests.
“Storing the maize is a challenge since I cannot afford the chemicals that
safeguard my crop from being eaten by pests. It is wiser for me to sell my
maize now,” he said.
Maria Ruchima (32) from Budiriro 5 said she had acquired almost two tonnes
of maize from barter trade with the Murehwa farmers.
“I take clothes and sometimes foodstuff to the farmers and they give me
maize. For example, I give a farmer an empty 20 litre bucket and they give
me one and half buckets of maize,” said Ruchima.
“I then transport the maize to Harare at night because to do this during the
day is very expensive as the police harass us and we end up paying them
bribes at every roadblock,” she said. “I sell the maize at $4 a bucket and
that is how I make my living.”