peter
Harare Bureau
THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has appealed to all farmers that delivered grain this season and have not yet received their payments to visit their depots nationwide and update their banking details.
Farmers have also been encouraged to register for a GMB Farmer Card and a Know Your Customer (KYC) account for prompt payments.
In a statement yesterday, GMB acting chief executive Mr Forward Takaindisa said those with KYC accounts that have low transaction limits should upgrade them with their respective banks.
“The Grain Marketing Board is appealing to all farmers that delivered grain this intake season and have not yet been paid to visit their depot and update their banking details. We urge all farmers with low KYC accounts that is accounts with low transaction limits to upgrade to full KYC accounts with their respective banks.
“Alternatively, farmers are encouraged to register for a GMB Farmer Card, a full KYC account for prompt payments. GMB depots will be open during this festive season except for Public Holidays only,” he said.
Mr Takaindisa said for any clarification, farmers should contact the GMB Corporate Communications Department on (0242) 701898 or email [email protected].
By August, the Grain Marketing Board GMB had paid about $25 billion to farmers for deliveries during the 2021 marketing season.
GMB, by then owed farmers $1,79 billion.
The parastatal received over 733 000 tonnes of grain from farmers valued at $26,9 billion as deliveries continue.
A number of farmers had been complaining over delays in payments.
Some farmers complained that they were lagging behind in terms of summer cropping preparations due to delays in payment.
The then GMB chief executive Mr Rockie Mutenha then urged farmers to deliver their crop as payments were on course.
He said some delays could have been caused by some banks, but the majority of farmers received their money soon after the Heroes holiday.
The GMB gets money from Treasury every week for grain purchases.
Treasury allocated $60 billion to the GMB to buy the maize and traditional grains from farmers.
The parastatal is paying $32 000 per tonne for maize and $38 000 per tonne of traditional grains.
GMB is expecting up to 1,8 million tonnes of grains from farmers.
The country attained a bumper harvest, the highest yield in 20 years as a result of the normal to above normal rainfall received during the 2020/21 farming season.
According to the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, final Crop and Livestock Assessment Report, cereal production is estimated at 3 075 538 tonnes against a national cereal requirement of 1 797 435 tonnes for human consumption and 450 000 tonnes for livestock.
A surplus of over 820 000 tonnes of cereals is expected this season.
Online Reporter