Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
SINCE the commencement of the grain marketing season, the private sector has imported about 168 000 metric tonnes of maize as well as 17 000 metric tonnes of wheat, giving a cumulative total of 185 000 metric tonnes of grains, to complement the Government.
Cabinet on Tuesday received and noted an update on the 2023/24 Summer Crops Marketing, Food Security Outlook to March 2025 and 2024 Winter Cereals Plan, as presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr. Anxious Masuka.
In a post-Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere said the private sector had a capacity to import 1 000 000 metric tonnes.
“The private sector has since the commencement of the grain marketing season on 1 April 2024 imported about 168 000 metric tonnes of maize as well as 17 000 metric tonnes of wheat, giving a cumulative total of 185 000 metric tonnes of grains.
“To boost maize reserves, the private sector has indicated a capacity to import 1 000 000 metric tonnes as part of efforts to mitigate the effect of the drought experienced during the 2023/24 agricultural season,” he said.
“Maize imports of 300 000 metric tonnes by the Government of Zimbabwe is expected to start arriving this month. To date, Government has distributed 53 826 metric tonnes of grain under the Social Welfare Programme.”
He said maize and traditional grains intake by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) for the season is estimated at 210 000 metric tonnes, based mainly on the projected 150 000 metric tonnes deliveries from the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) and 60 000 metric tonnes deliveries from the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) contracted farmers.
Minister Muswere said to date, the GMB grain intake is 9 290, while the projected wheat intake is also 300 000 metric tonnes, largely based on the 60 000 hectares funded under the ARDA facility.
He added: “The cotton marketing season commenced on 6 June, 2024, and will end on 6 July, 2024. The eight registered contractors, namely: Alliance Ginneries; Agri-Value Chain; Cottco; Innovation Cotton; New Cotton Company; ShawashAgri; Southern Cotton Company; and the Zimbabwe Cotton Consortium will only be allowed to buy seed cotton once they have finished paying farmers for deliveries made in the last season and when all grade differential payments have been made.”
Dr Muswere said there were 647 Common Buying Points across the country, and the minimum seed cotton prices are: US$0.43/kg for grade A; US$0.39/kg for grade B; US$0.36/kg for grade C; and US$0.32/kg for grade D.
He said payments to farmers shall be split as 75 percent USD and 25 percent ZiG, while as at 24 June, 2024, about 7.9 million kilogrammes of cotton had been marketed.
In terms of the winter season production plan, the Minister said the nation is advised that, to date, a total of 6 449 hectares of barley have been planted against a target of 7 000 hectares, from which the projected harvest is 42 000 metric tonnes.
He said the wheat planting deadline was 14 June, 2024 and 121 982 hectares had been planted, surpassing the targeted area of 120 000 hectares by 2 percent, as this was the highest planting in the country in history.
Online Reporter