Agro-dealers enhance agric commodities value

and fewer economic drivers.

However, agro-dealers in the province are proving that necessity is the mother of invention. From Gokwe to Mberengwa, agro-dealers are multiplying the value of agricultural commodities by producing cooking oil, stockfeeds, peanut butter, beef, bread as well as creating employment and raising farmers’ nutrition levels.
SNV’s Rural Agricultural Revitalisation Programme (RARP) is energising and supporting agro-dealers to diversify their commercial enterprises. One of the agro-dealers with a passion for improving livelihood opportunities for surrounding communities is Noah Madzivire of Svisvi Business Centre – 30km outside Gokwe Growth Point. A renowned stockist of many agriculture inputs ranging from seed to chemicals, Noah is processing sunflower into cooking oil and using sunflower cake for commercial poultry production.

The market for sunflower is good. He started oil pressing more than five years ago and is managed by his son, Gift Madzivire. According to Gift, they have a top-of-the-range purifier. After purifying, the oil is ready for the market. Due to unavailability of cash among local farmers, much of the oil is bartered at seven and half kilogrammes of sunflower for a litre of cooking oil.
The market is big – stretching from Svisvi to Nembudziya, Chitekete and Gokwe Centre – more than 20 000 consumers.

At least eight drums of cooking oil can be produced a day. Sunflower, which had previously been relegated to late crop status, is now receiving much attention from farmers with most now planting it at the same time they plant maize and cotton. More than 5 000 local farmers now produce sunflower and this number could increase if well supported rather than sticking to cotton whose fortunes are declining.

For Noah, being in the agro-dealing business means being versatile.
Noah works with Seed Co, Pannar Seeds, Pioneer Seeds, Farm and City, ZFC, National Tested Seeds, Progene Seeds and Paper Hole Investments in availing inputs to local farmers. His enterprise also includes a supermarket, a bakery and poultry unit. Through Rarp, Noah is one of the agro-dealers whose capacity has been enhanced in the form of business training and provision of new skills.

“The main problem in rural areas is that many farmers have become accustomed to free handouts. This is slowing down wealth creation. On the other hand, rather than providing finance, banks want to tell us how to run our businesses. We need money to build businesses and create employment. Financial institutions should empower rural factories rather than encouraging many people to import biscuits,” Noah said.

Madzivire Enterprises also provides a maize output market for local farmers – buying at US$3 a 20-litre bucket. At any given time, he has more than 10 tonnes of maize for resale.
Madzivire Bakery churns out 78 to 100 dozens a day for a big market which stretches from Gokwe centre to Chitekete (100km across). “We need money to acquire a big generator like what the Chinese operating at Gokwe Centre are doing. My bakery employs five people who are now able to feed their families. It has potential to employ more than 10 people. Each bag of flour produces 13 dozen and our profit is US$6 per bag. Farmers should eat good and nutritious food including bread in order to stay healthy,” said Noah.

At Maboleni Business Centre in Vungu, Lower Gweru, Milton Sibanda has carved his niche as a cattle buyer and baker of delicious bread for local communities. Milton is one of the agro-dealers whose capacity and business skills have been sharpened under RARP. The biggest threat to Milton’s bakery business is the unreliability of electricity.
“If Zesa had a clear schedule, we would organise our production accordingly. Our customers need quality bread and it is not good when they complain. For every six bags of flour, two are lost due to absence of electricity and this is money going down the drain. If we had a generator, we would be able to bake 20 bags of flour a day. At the beginning we used five bags a day and at one point rose to 60 bags a day due to the high demand for bread,” said Milton.

Lower Gweru is a livestock area but absence of a market could have been a nightmare if Milton and other local cattle buyers had not listened to the plight of farmers. He has built strong relationships with farmers who sell cattle to him for his butchery and, in turn, are a market for his bread. Knowledge sharing is also a critical component of the relationship.