adminSamuel Kadungure Senior Reporter
THOUSANDS of impatient farmers who last year delivered their grain to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) that has not been paid for have besieged the sneezing utility’s depots across the country demanding their grain back.
The increasing prospects of a severe 2015 drought has created panic within the farming community and farmers are pinning GMB to give them back their grain since it has failed to pay for it, so that they would use it to cushion themselves from starvation.
Treasury, which is in control of all Government’s financial transactions, is dogged by cash flow challenges to support GMB as the country is facing financial problems, a situation that has seen local grain producers moving away from the national grain storage facility in favour of private local and foreign grain buyers who pay cash for their produce. Those that sold their crop to the parastatal and have not been paid are pushing against the odds to get their grain back.
GMB owes farmers $49 million for grain delivered during 2013-14 marketing season. Government mandated the grain utility to purchase and keep 500 000 metric tonnes of grain reserves annually.
Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Dr Joseph Made on Tuesday told The Ma nica Post that all was not well in the farming sector as the national hectarage of maize dying before reaching maturity continues to increase, thereby creating panic among farmers.
Dr Made said prospects of a bumper harvest have been extinguished by the unending mid season drought — a development that has seen farmers besieging GMB depots across the country demanding their grain, which has not been paid for since last season, back.
Dr Made said his office has been inundated by a chorus of rage from farmers who are making desperate attempts to force GMB to release their grain for family consumption.
“As you know, when a season is good, farmers tend to think that the following season will also be good. Many farmers had sold their 2013-14 produce thinking this season was going to be good. Those who had sold to GMB and have not been paid, especially small-scale farmers, are now demanding their grain back. This is across the country.
There is an outcry across the country, especially the small-scale farmers are saying ‘GMB give us the grain back’. But you know things do not work that way, the Finance Minister (Cde Patrick Chinamasa) is trying to mobilise resources.
“Due to the severity of the situation, there is also an outcry that we start paying those farmers in the most drought hit areas so that they can buy food. When you have people in such difficult situations a lot of issues come out,” said Dr Made.
Dr Made admitted that the greater chunk of the 2015 crop across the country was a write-off. He said since the season was abruptly cut, the Government should, with immediate effect, stop the distribution of farming inputs and focus on food assistance.
As of last week, GMB was still distributing fertilisers to farmers.
“There is no point anymore continuing since the crop is a write-off. We have to cut out inputs and focus on food assistance,” said Dr Made.
“Where we had thought we would get the last showers, it has not been possible, what is likely to happen is that the hectarage written off is likely to increase. The rains have just stopped.
That makes it very difficult for the maize crop. So we are likely to have some more hectarage written off,” said Dr Made.
“However, I want to indicate that Government has taken measures to ensure that we have food across the country. The Treasury is looking for resources to mitigate the situation,” said Dr Made.
Cde Chinamasa revealed that so far $57,6 million had been paid out of the 239 042 tonnes of grain worth $93,2 million which was within the projected target of 250 000 tonnes for the season.
“The overall support under the Strategic Grain Reserve now stands at $81,9 million, with a sum of US$51,5 million having been mobilised from the market through issuance of Agricultural Marketing Authority Bills,” said Cde Chinamasa in his recent 2015 National Budget presentation.
He added that of this amount, as at November 13, 2014, $57,6 million had been paid to farmers for grain deliveries, $22 million for handling and storage charges, while $2 million was for payment for grain importation charges from last year.
Online Reporter