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Edgar Vhera Agriculture Specialist Writer
INSTITUTIONS and individuals participating in the horticulture value chain have until November 30 to register with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), spelling out their intended activities for the 2022/23 agriculture season.
In a statement, AMA recently invited all institutions and individuals trading in horticultural and plantation products to register or renew their licences for the 2022/23 agriculture season.
The season spans from November 01, 2022 to October 31, 2023. The categories of institutions or individuals that are required to register are: commercial traders and wholesalers, small to medium-scale traders and individual traders.
Commercial traders and wholesalers’ licences, which are valid for one-year cost US$350 or the equivalent in local currency at interbank rate. These are not restricted in their trade volume.
Horticulture small-scale trader’s licence is valid for three months and costs US$125 or the equivalent in local currency at the ruling interbank rate. The monthly volume under this category is 30 tonnes or below.
Individual horticulture traders’ licences, which are valid for one year require US$125 or the equivalent in local currency at the prevailing exchange rate. Individuals are permitted to trade 30 tonnes or below per month.
To update the growers’ database and facilitate market linkages for orderly marketing of produce, horticulture farmers are also required to register with AMA. Farmers must pay US$1 or the local currency equivalent at interbank rate to be registered.
AMA is a statutory body established in terms of the Agricultural Marketing Act (Chapter 18:24). All farmers are encouraged to register with AMA to enable the institution to execute its mandate of regulation, supervision, development and administration of agricultural products marketing.
To fulfill its role AMA is focused on the creation of structured markets that promote efficiency in the marketing of agricultural produce as well as creation of market linkages to enhance market access.
Through the automated grower registration system, AMA strives to be a robust regulator for effective production and marketing of all agricultural produce.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe said AMA needed to be capacitated to enable them to be very effective in the registration exercise saying they are thin on the ground at the moment.
“Though registration of farmers is important for planning purposes, the wide geographical location of farmers needs a well-resourced institution. Currently AMA is incapacitated to travel the breadth and length of the country. As farmers’ unions we are collecting the US$1 registration fee for our members so that we might benefit from facilities like access to fuel using local currency,” said Dr Makombe.
Online Reporter