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Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
FARMERS who delivered wheat to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) have started receiving payments amid revelations that most provinces have completed harvesting with 358 978 tonnes having been realised from 76 000ha as of December 5.
This year’s winter wheat was planted on 80 885ha giving the nation hopes of realising yields enough to guarantee self-sufficiency.
In his weekly summer season preparedness report, Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) chief director Professor Obert Jiri yesterday revealed that 358 978 tonnes of wheat had been harvested from 76 000ha across all the provinces, which is 94 percent of the total planted area.
“Most of the country’s production provinces have completed harvesting while some wheat that was rain damaged had been downgraded,” said Prof Jiri.
In addition to 1 576ha that was rain damaged, 88, 6ha were destroyed by fire in Mashonaland Central and Matabeleland North provinces.
Mashonaland West province accounts for 38 percent of the wheat harvest at 136 199 tonnes followed Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Midlands provinces at 66 923, 54620 and 41 436 tonnes respectively.
Midlands has so far recorded the highest average yield of 6, 3 tonnes per hectare, followed by Mashonaland West and Manicaland provinces at 5, 2 and 4, 8 tonnes per hectare correspondingly.
The average national yield so far this year stood at 4, 7 tonnes per hectare and is slightly lower than 5, 3 tonnes per hectare achieved last year.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe yesterday said farmers under their union had finished harvesting and payments were being effected for those farmers who delivered their wheat to the GMB.
“Payments to farmers who delivered wheat to GMB have started coming and we have been assured that outstanding dues would also be paid soon. Wheat farmers would have wanted these funds when they delivered their produce to boost preparations for this summer season. It is our hope that in future payments will be done promptly,” said Dr Makombe.
The Government set the wheat floor producer price of US$620 per tonne for ordinary grade and US$682 per tonne for premium grade with the local and foreign currency payment split using a ratio of 33:67.
GMB chief executive officer Mr Rockie Mutenha yesterday said all wheat payments to farmers across the board were for premium grade, $268 048 plus US$220 per tonne while those for standard grade were $243 680 plus US$200 per tonne.
Meanwhile, Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA) chairperson Mr Graeme Murdoch said the price buyers were paying for wheat from farmers was a result of the prevailing market forces of demand and supply as well as contract arrangements that farmers had with their contractors. He, however, said GMB was mandated to pay the US$620 and US$682 on a split basis between the Nostro and local currency accounts.
Stockfeed Manufacturers Association of Zimbabwe (SMA) executive administrator Dr Reneth Mano recently observed that wheat floor prices were higher than the import parity price and Government had done well to remove the Intermediate Money Transfer Tax (IMTT) but added that more needed to be done to keep the bread price low.
“The announced producer prices are way higher than the landed cost of wheat at between US$480 to US$520 per tonne that are presently subtending the current retail bread price of between US$1 to US$1, 20 per loaf. While industry is still awash with cheap imported wheat and wheat flour to probably take the country past the Christmas period, there is a very big risk that retail prices for a loaf of bread would rise by as much as 30 percent when the baking industry starts utilising the bulk of the locally produced wheat,” said Dr Mano.
Online Reporter