adminSamuel Kadungure Farming Matters
ZIMBABWE needs to double its efforts to breathe life into the soya-beans sector which can best be described as being in the intensive care unit.
The soya-bean sector is a far-cry from the past; it is in a diminishing mode and is poor and uncompetitive.
Statistics show a severe reduction in production – from a peak of 170 000t in the 90s to 34 000t in 2010.
Although the agricultural sector has recovered, last year production stood at 70 000t against a target of 115 000t. The nation requires 200 000t for production of stock feeds and edible oil.
Zimbabwe has a soya bean crushing capacity of 450 000t, and unless Government and the private sector join hands and come up with complementary strategies to promote the legume crop and capacitate farmers, the industry will remain in a moribund state, operating below 10 percent of its installed capacity.
Soya bean is a high value crop that derives its significance from being a critical source of protein for both livestock and human population.
More-so, the validity of this crop can be attributed to its multi-purpose benefits as a cash crop availing food processes consumption and marketing activities which are truly lucrative.
Its other positive attribute revolves around its unmatched ability to fix nitrogen into the soil, thereby making it a perfect rotation option with crops like maize and tobacco, thereby reducing input costs that are often a constraint to resource-poor smallholder farmers.
It is therefore important for resource poor smallholder farmers struggling to venture into commercial crops like tobacco and cotton that demand high capital injection – and a significant number of others failing to find any joy from traditional crops such as maize – to broaden their horizons and venture into soya bean farming as a viable option.
Soya bean fetches lucrative prices on the market and is considerably cheap to grow.
Farmers can try soya beans cognizant of the swinging rainfall patterns received in the country, the high selling prices being offered compared to other crops and the payment method after crop delivery which is spontaneous when selling soya beans.
The Agriculture Marketing Authority (AMA) production planning director, Maxwell Chikanda revealed that at least $15 million to support production this season.
Government has already allocated $6,4 million as part of an input support programme while agro-processing concern, United Refineries Limited, has injected $2 million for soya bean contract farming.
AMA is the statutory body that regulates production, buying, selling and processing of agricultural products and it has been promoting contract farming for strategic crops and livestock through provision of required finance.
The body seeks to boost soya bean production given shortages blighting the country.
Mr Chikanda said the authority was looking forward to striking mega deals with local companies like Olivine Industries, United Refineries, among others, as a way of boosting the production of soya beans.
United Refineries, the second largest cooking oil refinery in Zimbabwe, requires 96,000 tonnes oil seed per annum but can only access about 50 percent of that locally.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president, Wonder Chabikwa, said local soya bean farmers were buying inputs at high costs while buyers want to purchase the crop basing on international prices which are low. Fertilizer costs $800 per tonne.
“The producer price versus cost of production is too high and this has resulted in few farmers taking up soya beans farming because no one would like to invest in a crop that does not give profits,” he said.
“Farming is a business. When you invest certainly you will be looking forward to making profits, which is not the case with soya beans farming in Zimbabwe,” he added.
Due to market liberalisation, buyers took advantage to freeze prices as they can easily got soya beans at cheaper prices outside the country.
The liberalisation of the agriculture sector has seen an increase in commodity brokers who determine the market prices by stocking in warehouses, resulting in price crashes that affect the farmer’s income.
“If the cost of production is not subsidised, it threatens the existence of soya beans production in the country because the disparities between cost of production and the market prices is not fair on the farmer. Government should therefore cushion farmers by introducing subsidies because the cost of production in Zimbabwe is uncompetitive and the most contributing factor is fertiliser, accounting for 35 percent of all costs in farming.”
According to an AGRITEX, 1982, report; soya beans require a deep, fertile soil with high Ca content. They thrive on light soils, provided these contain sufficient nutrients. Soya beans absorb considerable quantities of nutrients from the soil. It is advisable to apply a light dressing of Rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
The inoculant is produced at Marondera. Liberal application of phosphate accelerates ripening. Soya beans remove nutrients from the soil at a rate of 60 kg N/ha, 35 kg P2O5/ha and 80 kg K2O/ha. The crop needs 250 kg/ha of Compound L at planting.
Commercial Farmers Union plant diseases expert Mr Clive Levy said though soya beans was prone to attack by 30 different diseases, the nation has capacity to provide pesticides to keep the menace under control.
“Farmers would be advised to venture into soya beans farming given the low farming costs involved and the availability of pesticides to deal with likely diseases which might affect the crop.
“Farmers should be motivated by the fact that soya bean seed producers are breeding new varieties of seed that are resistant to common diseases. These are already on the market and are doing well for farmers.
“The only devastating disease is Soya Bean Rust but government has the means to keep it under check,” he said.
For the past 20 years the crop in some parts of the country was attacked by Red Leaf Blotch and Frog Eye Leaf Spot, but as with other diseases, authorities were equal to task.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union Vice President, Berean Mukwande, said soya beans was an easy crop to farm especially in red soil areas as it does not need top dressing. The crop is easy to market and farmers get instant cash unlike cotton and maize.
The country is facing a shortage of soya beans, it was therefore expected that the producer price for 2014 would have been higher but prices have declined from the US$580 offered in 2013 since buyers are importing from Zambia, India and Brazil where farmers are heavily subsidised at between 30 and 50 percent.
Online Reporter