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Elton Manguwo
GOVERNMENT’S call for industries to source 40 percent of raw materials locally has fallen on fertile ground with the Agriculture Marketing Authority (AMA) working with Zimgold and Agriculture Advisory and Rural Development Services (ARDAS) to train and contract farmers in sunflower production.
“Contract farming is pivotal aspect of agriculture business, which gives farmers access to markets, capital and other pertinent inputs crucial for intensive production,” AMA chief executive officer Mr Clever Isaya said this at the ongoing Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare yesterday.
Mr Isaya was talking about the smart partnership this authority has struck with Zimgold, ARDAS and the contracted farmers that would see farmers producing sunflowers that would readily find a market in Zimgold.
He further explained that the beauty of contract farming was that it provided manufacturers with a guaranteed supply of raw materials just like farmers would also not be worried about looking for markets.
Small-scale farmers often struggle to secure markets for their produce, especially when it comes to strategic crops whose marketing is usually characterised by stiff competition from big commercial farmers.
The programme, which is set to be rolled out in provinces such as Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East and Masvingo is meant to promote contract farming arrangements while educating farmers on the need to treat farming as a business and in turn creating market linkages for farmers interested in growing high-value crops that they cannot trade viably in their local markets.
Sunflower is an essential oilseed crop that has been produced in the country for ages. However, the production volumes of the crop have dwindled over the past few years as oil pressers shifted their focus towards soya bean, which is an oil substitute.
“Currently the country is producing just over 10 000 tonnes, which falls short of the national requirements of 50 000 tonnes per year,” Mr Isaya further said.
Zimgold is inviting farmers with at least a hectare of land to enter a contract farming programme in which they will be provided with seed. The contracts will enable the farmers to sell their produce to the oil pressers mitigating marketing problems for them.
More so, with seed provision and its costs will be shouldered by the contractor who will recover his costs after the sale of produce, which helps farmers in realising the full value of their produce.
In the middle of climate change worries that are affecting agriculture, sunflower is a strategic drought-tolerant crop that can be used as a substitute for other drought prone oilseed crops.
Online Reporter