Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Sorghum deliveries to the market have increased by 423 percent from five tonnes between April 1 to July 24, 2024, to 28 000 tonnes in the same period this year, with the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) getting the lion’s share of the intake.
The 2025 marketing season is expected to peak next month as many farmers will have finished harvesting and threshing their summer crops.
Statistics released by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) show that growers have so far sold 27 974 tonnes this year up from last year’s 5 347 tonnes.
The GMB’s intake of 17 573 tonnes accounts for 63 percent of all the market deliveries.
This is a significant increase from the board’s last year’s purchase of 1 425 tonnes.
GMB is buying sorghum at US$376,48 per tonne.
Other buyers have bought 10 231 tonnes, an increase from last year’s 3 922 tonnes.
The government liberalised grain marketing this year, cognisant of the need to achieve both food and nutrition security and macroeconomic stability.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, said this year’s marketing would be based on climate-proofed Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa), self-financed, private contractor financed, Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) financed and National Enhanced Agriculture Productivity Scheme (NEAPS) financed by Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC), Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) and NMB.
“The prices for maize, traditional grains, soya bean and sunflower announced by GMB are reference/obligatory prices for intake by the board only.
“GMB will purchase all strategic commodities financed under the Presidential Inputs Scheme and GMB will be the buyer of last resort,” he said.
Minister Masuka said all contractors, including the Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA), CBZ, AFC and NMB, are obligated to buy back contracted crops at market prices.
He said self-financed farmers would sell to the best advantage on the market or to GMB, with the latter providing commercial warehouse receipt services to all players.
“The Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX) will provide a central warehouse receipt system and a spot market trading platform for agricultural commodities,” he said.
No sorghum has been traded under the ZMX platform at the moment.
Meanwhile, the second-round crops, livestock and fisheries assessment (CLAFA -2) report shows that sorghum production increased 432 percent from 82 063 tonnes in 2024 to 436 784 tonnes this year.
This is a joint combination of area increase from 405 116 to 516 440 hectares as well as yield from 0,14 to 0,85 tonnes per hectare.
Masvingo province had the largest area and production of 131 977 hectares and 91 273 tonnes, followed by Matabeleland North with 50 695 hectares and 76 043 tonnes.
Matabeleland South was third with 42 799 hectares and 56 893 tonnes.
The two Matabeleland provinces, north and south, had the highest yield at 1,50 and 1,33 tonnes per hectare, with Manicaland Province coming third on 0,97 tonnes per hectare.
The CLAFA 2 report showed that the communal sector dominated sorghum production, though their average yields are still low compared to the large-scale commercial farmers (LSCF), A2 and old resettlement sectors.
Sorghum production continues to increase, especially in drier regions, due to agricultural input distribution based on agroecological tailoring of crops.
A total of 2 739 tonnes of sorghum seed was distributed in the 2024/25 season, a 93 percent mark from 2 931 tonnes in stock.
As the populace embraces healthy eating, the demand for traditional grains has been increasing, with daily mass market price and volume data compiled by Knowledge Transfer Africa (KTA) showing that sorghum grain and meal have been in trade throughout the whole year.
A 20-litre tin of sorghum grain ended the year on an average price of US$12 while the five-litre tin of its meal was being sold on an average price of US$6.
