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Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
MOST macadamia nut growers have refused to register with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) this year accusing the authority of not assisting them to secure markets in the last couple of years.
This was revealed by Macadamia Producers Association of Zimbabwe (MPAZ) secretary-general Mr James Maisiri yesterday who said farmers did not see the benefit of registering with AMA.
“Since last year our members have been voicing their displeasure with the service we were getting from AMA after registering. It is even worse now after foreign buyers pulled out in protest of exchange control directive RV176 of 2020 that requires 20 percent of foreign currency receipts of goods and services to be liquidated at the point of depositing in the domestic foreign currency account at the prevailing auction rate.
“This has left growers exposed to middlemen who offer low prices of between US$0,80 and US$1 per kilogramme, a price that cannot allow them to break even,” said Mr Maisiri.
Mr Maisiri lamented the lack of funding that has seen farmers failing to maintain their macadamia trees with some even going to the extent of cutting them down.
He revealed that this year they had engagements with at least three buyers from South Africa who were willing to offer prices of between US$3 and US$4, but they developed cold feet due to high logistics costs and the 20 percent liquidation requirement.
“The logistics costs involved in the delivery of the product to the customer chews approximately 38,2 percent of the value of the crop,” said Mr Maisiri.
Macadamia farmers have been registering with AMA since 2015 and last year they paid $10 for registration before the figure was reviewed to US$10.
Mr Maisiri said AMA should use the levies they contributed since 2015 to organise seminars, knowledge sharing and input procurement.
Meanwhile, AMA chief executive Mr Clever Isaya yesterday said they were going to engage farmers in a meeting planned for Chipinge to discuss their concerns.
AMA agri-business director Mr Jonathan Mukuruba recently urged farmers attending a meeting to deliberate on issues affecting the macadamia nuts industry that included general production, policy matters, pricing, marketing, registration compliance and trade to register in order to commence trade.
He said of all farmers in the four districts of Mutare, Chipinge, Makoni and Mutasa only one percent had registered.
According to AMA (Macadamia Nuts) Regulations, Statutory Instrument (SI) 138 of 2019, all buyers of macadamia nuts shall pay a levy at a rate of 1,5 percent of the value of macadamia nuts purchased, which shall be deposited by the authority into the Agricultural Marketing Fund established in terms of the Act.
According to the SI, the levy shall be used for the development of macadamia nuts industry specifically to support – (a) farmers access to information on macadamia nuts production, marketing and processing; (b) the provision of research, training and extension services; (c) pest and disease control; (d) production and marketing and processing of macadamia nuts; and (e) the institution of effective systems to control theft of macadamia nuts.
Statistics from ZimStats show that macadamia nut exports have been on a continued decline from a high value of US$14 million in 2020 to US$9 million in 2022.
It is these funds that growers say AMA should use to develop the sector.
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