Agriculture Minister, Joseph Made.

POST-harvest grain losses threaten the country’s food security as it is estimated that at least 100 000 tonnes of grain are lost between harvesting and storage of maize, the Financial Gazette’s Companies & Markets can report.
Post-harvest losses, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, are estimated at 20 to 30 percent in storage alone.
But these could be as high as 40 percent when field, transportation, handling and processing losses are included.
With the producer price estimated at US$300 per tonne, the country stands to lose at least US$30 million per year in post harvest losses.
The larger grain borer has been the biggest threat to stored grain especially in the smallholder sector where proper post harvest management is required.
The pest has caused havoc in most granaries in the smallholder sector and losses have resulted in reduced food security and after the infestation, the grain is no longer suitable for human consumption.
To curb the problem of grain infestation and ensure household food security, the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC) last week launched the Actellic Gold Dust as a solution to post harvest losses in stored maize.
Launching the new product, Actellic Gold Dust, ZFC managing director Richard Dafana said ZFC was always mindful of the problems faced by farmers and was working with all its stakeholders to find solutions.
“One of the major challenges in the country is that we are facing grain shortages and it is disheartening to note that, though we are facing grain shortages, we lose more through post harvest complications. We as ZFC, we have listened to our farmers and we have tried to find solutions,” Dafana said.
The need to increase food production has become a policy mantra for the country and there is need to reduce unnecessary grain losses as much of what is produced never makes it past the farm gate, especially in the communal areas.
The larger grain borer reduce the entire grain bulk to dust if not controlled and use of grain protectants such as the Actellic Gold Dust can ensure that the grain lasts until the next harvest.
With Actellic Gold Dust, grain is protected against grain weevil, maize weevil, larger grain borer and rodents for 80 weeks, meaning the harvest can last until the next harvest.
Larger grain borer, maize weevil and rodents, particularly the mice and the rats, amplify the amount of losses incurred in storage.
Harvesting, drying and storage are all stages which see substantial losses, both quantitative (physical losses caused by rodents, insects or infestations) and qualitative (loss of quality and value).
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