Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera, Agriculture Reporter
FARMERS have so far sold 135 000 tonnes of maize — 71 percent higher than the 79 000 tonnes traded during the same period last year, as the marketing season reaches its peak.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority’s (AMA) weekly market update as of June 19 reveals that farmers had delivered a cumulative total of 134 841 tonnes of maize to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB),
Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX) and other buyers over the period stretching from April 1 to June 18 this year.
This is against 78 946 tonnes sold last year during the comparable period.
Unnamed buyers accounted for the largest portion of the intake at 81 percent, followed by ZMX with 14 percent and GMB with five percent.
Prices range from US$330 to US$365 per tonne.
These developments come on the backdrop of the crafting of Statutory Instrument (SI) 87 of 2025 (CAP. 18:24) Agricultural Marketing Authority (Grain, Oilseed and Products) (Amendment) Regulations (No.
2), enacted by the Government last year to govern the importation of grains and oilseed products, as well as encourage local production.
According to section 13 of the Act, no person shall import grain, oilseed and products, except for contractors in instances of need.
Where the landed import parity price is lower than the local production parity price, the difference shall accrue to the Agricultural Revolving Fund.
The law also says, with effect from April 1, 2026, all processors must source at least forty percent of their annual requirements of grain, oilseed and products locally and with effect from April 1, 2028, one hundred percent of all annual requirements of grain, oilseed and products must be sourced locally.
At the start of the marketing season, the cabinet approved the 2026 grain marketing framework to broaden market access and improve returns for farmers across the country.
The framework is designed to accommodate farmers using different production models with the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) buying grain produced under the climate-proofed Presidential Input Scheme,
Pfumvudza/Intwasa, where inputs are supplied by the Government and farmers are mandated to sell surplus to the GMB.
Farmers under the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme (Neaps) are selling grain at agreed prices, while self-financed farmers can sell to the most competitive market available.
The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) will sell grain to the GMB to replenish the strategic grain reserve (SGR), with surplus volumes channelled to the best available markets.
The Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX) will provide a warehouse receipt system and support commodity trading through its market platform.
To operationalise SI 87 of 2025, the Government approved a new grain procurement and import verification framework designed to create a transparent, accountable system that prioritises local farmers while ensuring agro-processors continue to access grain supplies in an orderly and efficient manner, with effect from June 1.
Under the approved framework, grain buyers and agro-processors are required to procure a minimum of 40 percent of their grain requirements from the local market to qualify for imports of up to 60 percent of their requirements.
AMA will provide overall regulatory and supervisory oversight, while the ZMX will provide the online trading, reporting and verification platform responsible for monitoring procurement and import compliance.
GMB will provide the backbone storage infrastructure supporting the framework alongside approved private warehouse operators across the country.
Meanwhile, the 18th Cabinet meeting revealed that 1 928 505 hectares of maize have been harvested to date and have yielded 2 824 110 tonnes that now await marketing.
The bulk of the maize crop is rain-fed and is harvested and naturally dried throughout June and July, with the bulk of harvests delivered to the commercial market from mid-July to the end of August.
