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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter
The payment of farmers will be accelerated once they deliver their grain to sustain the record-high agricultural production figures, and the transformative agenda set in the agriculture sector.
Zimbabwe has recorded record yields in maize, wheat and tobacco production, with the country food secure in the last three seasons following game-changing interventions by the Second Republic. Addressing a post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the summer crop marketing season was progressing well, together with wheat production.
“Cabinet deliberated at length on the importance of paying farmers on time for the delivery of all crops, and Government is seized with accelerating payments for the deliveries.
“This will ensure that the record-high agricultural production figures and the transformative agenda are sustained,” she said.
The nation, said Minister Mutsvangwa, has enough grain to carry it through to the next season. As of July 9, GMB had 204 084 tonnes of maize and 41 464 tonnes of traditional grains in stock. Of this, millers and stock-feed manufacturers are being allocated 27 000 tonnes, while Silo Foods would get 16 000 tonnes per month, and an additional 10 000 tonnes would be sold to Rwanda. Under summer crops marketing, Minister Mutsvangwa said 49 694 tonnes comprising 33 008 tonnes of maize, 9 095 tonnes of traditional grains, 4 780 tonnes of soya bean and 2 773 tonnes of sunflower had been delivered to the GMB.
“Mashonaland West had the highest maize, soya bean and sunflower intake, while Mashonaland Central was highest in traditional grains production. “Midlands is increasingly becoming a maize producer of repute, surpassing Mashonaland East in overall production. An additional 300 000 tonnes of maize will be mobilised to provide cover up to June next year at the current allocation rate of 43 000 tonnes per month,” she said. Regarding wheat, Minister Mutsvangwa said the country’s current stocks stand at 140 029 tonnes, which were sufficient to provide eight months cover.
“Considering that the country is wheat self-sufficient, discussions are underway with neighbouring countries on possible wheat exports. “Cabinet wishes to highlight that 69,8 percent of the country’s wheat is being produced by A1 farmers,” she said.
On tobacco marketing, a country record of 286,8 million kg valued at US$868,8 million was sold during the tobacco selling season.
The average price for the current marketing season was higher than the price recorded in 2022. Minister Mutsvangwa said the Tobacco Transformation Plan aims at tobacco becoming a 300 million kg crop, with a US$5 billion tobacco industry by 2025.
“Preparations for the 2023/24 season are already underway with seed sales equivalent to 91 380 hectares compared to 76 483 hectares (in) the previous season, which is a 16 percent increase. “On seed cotton intake, a total of 63 181 516 kg had been delivered to four contractors by July 6, compared to the 15 512 710 kg at the same time last year.
“The seed cotton intake has surpassed the 2022 deliveries by 407 percent. The prices are ranging between US$0,34 and US$0,40 per kg,” she said.
Online Reporter