dyton mupawaenda
Edgar Vhera-Agriculture Specialist Writer
PRICKED by a 78 percent decline in the average macadamia nut prices from US$3,20 per kilogramme in 2019 to the current US$0,70, macadamia farmers urged Government to intervene and set a minimum price to save the industry from collapsing.
Zimbabwe grows the Beaumont and Intergrifolia macadamia varieties with most fruits falling under the former having been sold so far, while marketing for the latter is yet to start.
Macadamia Producers’ Association of Zimbabwe (MPAZ) secretary general Mr Fortune Gurai said members of his association were calling on the Government to set a minimum purchase price, as prices have been on a decline since the start of Covid-19 in 2019.
“With macadamia currently being bought at an average price of US$0,70 per kilogramme, farmers are lobbying the Government, through the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to gazette a price under Statutory Instrument (SI) 138 of 2019. AMA has requested for information on cost of production per hectare and yield to determine the break-even price and mark up,” Mr Gurai said.
He said the break-even price was US$1,40 per kilogramme.
Mr Gurai said growers used to get prices as high as US$3,50 in the past, but the advent of Covid-19 negatively affected the price, which has since gone down to the current US$0,70.
AMA provincial field officer, Mrs Rose Ruzariro concurred, saying it was now imperative for the Government to intervene in macadamia marketing by setting a minimum purchase price to save farmers from being exploited by bogus merchants.
Mrs Ruzariro said: “Prices have been low for the past three seasons with smallholder farmers most hit, as they do not have dryers to process their fruit to the required moisture level. Farmers are calling on the Government to set the selling price for the macadamia nut under SI 138 of 2019 to ensure farmer viability.
She said most smallholder farmers did not have irrigation infrastructure and had been on the receiving end this year due to the El Nino drought that has affected the size of the fruit.
Any macadamia nut size that is below 18 millimetres (mm) in diameter is rejected with 22mm being the ideal size, she added.
AMA (Macadamia Nuts) Regulations, 2019 under S.I. 138 of 2019 [CAP. 18:24] in section 16 under title ‘Fixing of prices’ says: “Where it appears to the Minister that there are unfair practices in the pricing model of macadamia nuts, the Minister may, after consultation with the Authority, the Minister responsible for Finance, and upon recommendations from associations of growers of macadamia nuts before the December 31 in each year, by order published in the Gazette, fix the minimum prices for macadamia nuts to be traded in that year.
Meanwhile, statistics from AMA show that macadamia production rose 674 percent from 8 000 tonnes in 2019 to 61 913 in 2020 and has been above 48 000 tonnes over the period.
The price has declined from an average of US$3,20 in 2019 to US$0,70 per kilogramme in 2023 with low prices of US$0,30 per kilogramme being paid.
Online Reporter