adminElton Mangwuo and Chenai Museta
FRESH produce farmers are grappling with losses triggered by the that are causing premature ripening and rapid decaying of fruits and vegetables negatively affecting the profitability of their businesses.
In his daily market updates, Knowledge Transfer Africa Zimbabwe chief executive officer, Dr Charles Dhewa said the unfolding situation had a significant impact on the livelihoods and business operations of the farmers, who rely on consistent, high-quality produce to sustain their activities.
“Accelerated ripening and decaying of crops is causing losses, disrupting farmers’ ability to reliably supply markets with produce while limiting their profitability,” said Dr Dhewa.
The mass food markets, particularly Mbare, have seen prices of everyday essential consumer fruits and vegetables dropping due to high supply and stagnant demand creating market disparities.
“There is need for our mass food markets to be equipped with facilities such as cooling sheds to regulate the ripening of food stuffs,” said Dr Dhewa highlighting how there is need for strong Government assistance in addressing the matter.
This market shift comes at a time farmers have been calling for access to timely and relevant market information that can inform their production and marketing decisions to enable them to better align their output volumes with the actual market demand, ensuring that they are not produce more than the market can absorb.
“It is now important to equip small-scale farmers with market intelligence and data to help them strike a balance between produce volumes and market uptake,” said Dr Dhewa.
By empowering small-scale farmers with market data and intelligence, they can make more informed decisions about what to grow, when to harvest and how to position their products in the market.
“This alignment between production volumes, harvesting periods and market delivery is crucial for farmers to avert losses due to early ripening,” said Dr Dhewa.
By closely monitoring the movement of agricultural produce from the farm to the end consumer, market intelligence can provide valuable insights into the supply and demand dynamics within the food system. This information can be crucial in anticipating and addressing potential imbalances or shortages, which are crucial for maintaining food security.
Dr Dhewa emphasised that by prioritising and observing production outputs, industry can better understand the dynamics that drive value addition, profitability and the sustainability of agricultural activities.
This information is also crucial for guiding the development of effective policies that can support the continued growth and transformation of the sector.
“Instead of solely concentrating on input procurement and production processes, greater emphasis on production outputs would provide valuable insights that can inform decision-making at the farmer, industry and policy levels. This shift in perspective could help ensure that the industry’s transformation is driven by data-driven insights and a better understanding of the market realities faced by farmers,” said Dr Dhewa.
Online Reporter