Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has received ZiG200 million from the Government to pay farmers, a move aimed at clearing outstanding debts and ensuring timely payments for current grain deliveries.
The funding, together with a recently received US$8 million, is expected to strengthen farmer confidence, improve cash flows and support national food security.
Speaking at a press briefing in Harare yesterday, GMB chief executive officer Dr Edson Badarai said the latest funding demonstrates Government’s commitment to supporting farmers and safeguarding agricultural livelihoods.
He said the ZiG200 million has been allocated to settle both outstanding and current payments.
“Of this, ZiG65 million is going to clear old debt. The remaining ZiG135 million is clearing the current deliveries, showing our commitment to timely payments,” he said.
Dr Badarai said farmers are also receiving payments in United States dollars, further strengthening confidence in the marketing system.
“We recently received US$8 million, US$2 million last week and US$6 million this week,” he said.
“This brings total payments made to farmers this season to US$20 million, inclusive of another US$4 million we received and disbursed earlier.”
He said grain deliveries continue to increase, with GMB expecting total intake to surpass 100 000 tonnes within the next two weeks.
“The deliveries are good and we are currently at 85 000 tonnes. We believe that in two weeks we’ll have surpassed 100 000 tonnes,” he said.
Dr Badarai encouraged farmers to make use of GMB’s extensive network of collection points to reduce transport costs and avoid being exploited by unscrupulous grain buyers.
“We encourage our farmers to utilise our 1 804 collection points to save on transport costs. They should not be duped by those other people who want to pay them less than what they deserve,” he said.
The latest funding and continued payments underscore the Government’s efforts to support farmers, enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen national food security through efficient grain marketing.
