malvernmugadzikwa
Business Writer
Government must incentivise oil expressers to venture into contract farming of sunflower production as well as invest in machinery that crushes sunflowers for cooking oil production.
This was said by the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) in an analysis that formed part of its fourth-quarter 2021 Newsletter.
The call by CTC comes at a time Zimbabwe is not producing sufficient edible oilseeds to meet the current cooking oil requirements leaving oil expressers to rely largely on crude oil imports.
According to the CTC, whose mandate includes implementing Zimbabwe’s competition policy, the initiative by the Government of distributing 600 tonnes of sunflower seed as part of the Pfumvudza/Intwasa farming inputs is a welcome development that can reduce crude oil imports in Zimbabwe.
While oil expressers use crude oil imports for the production of cooking oil, there are benefits in diversifying oilseed production through sunflower production, according to the CTC.
“Zimbabwe stands to greatly benefit from a reduced soya bean oil and cotton-seed oil import bill of US$138 million as the country increases production of sunflowers.”
By embarking on increased sunflower production, the nation will be able to lower the huge import bill of soya bean oil and cotton-seed oil, reads the CTC analysis in part.
Apart from saving foreign currency, the CTC said sunflower production benefits Zimbabwe as its average oil extraction rate is relatively higher at 40-50 percent compared to soya beans and cotton whose average oil extraction rate is 18 percent and 18 percent-25 percent respectively.
“A better oil extraction rate benefits Zimbabwe by saving on land for agricultural activities.”
According to its research, the CTC said sunflower requires roughly 33 percent of the land used for growing the soya bean crop.
“Therefore, Zimbabwe stands to get more quantities of cooking oil per tonne of sunflower as compared to a tonne of soya bean.”
Agricultural economist, Dr Reneth Mano, said sunflower seed can be grown in all 60 districts and achieve 1,5 to 3,0 tonnes per hectare with hybrids yielding 40 percent oil.
“This is how Zimbabwe would achieve self-sufficiency,” he said.
CTC is thus recommending Government to incentivise oil expressers to venture into contract farming of sunflower production “to supplement government efforts in order to grow more sunflower with more edible oil content”.
Further, CTC said there is need also incentivise oil expressers to invest in machinery that crushes sunflowers for cooking oil production which will also ensure a localised market for the crop.
“The current setup is that most of the oil expressers have invested in machinery that was suitable for soya bean and crude soya bean oil. They, therefore, lack the incentive to support sunflower production since it renders their investment obsolete,” CTC revealed.
Further, CTC said quality sunflower seeds varieties must be made available to promote production of sunflower.
“Seed companies have a role to play in providing best yielding varieties for sunflower production aside open pollinated varieties.”
Apart from the big oil expressers, CTC also recommends establishment of sunflower community crushers where households producing sunflower can crush their oilseed to produce cooking oil. This again will save both foreign currency and land used. —BH24
Online Reporter