Sundaymail Editor
Chief Reporter
Government will this week release at least US$14 million in the latest batch of funds meant to pay farmers for grain delivered to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) last season.
This comes ahead of the 2015-2016 summer cropping season.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail last Friday, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made said the release of the money was part of Government’s efforts to clear the GMB debt to farmers. “Next week (this week) the Reserve Bank has said it is paying US$14 million to farmers and the (Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe) Governor (Dr John Mangudya) himself, has made a commitment to this.
”It will be to clear the outstanding payments for 2014 and 2015,” he said.
Dr Made said the GMB currently owes US$66 million to farmers.
He said Government had also started releasing part of the US$35 million earmarked to provide next season’s seeds and fertilisers to vulnerable groups.
Dr Made said further funding for agriculture was expected from the Agriculture Marketing Authority agro bills valued at US$45 million.
In what could signal instant revival of the cotton industry, Dr Made said 450 000 hectares, approximately double that of last season, are expected to be put under the crop this season. He said Government’s takeover of Cottco would see farmers receiving better prices for the crop, after potential markets for the white gold were secured in countries that include China, Belarus, and Egypt.
“The major crop entrant into the resuscitation area will be cotton. Government is targeting that 450 000 hectares should be under cotton.
”That is a major thrust which is consistent with the fact that we are taking over Cottco,” said Dr Made.
“We know that the rain season may start late, but for crops like cotton, which is grown by 60 percent of the rural population, it becomes viable for regions that may not have grown it seasonally because it is drought resistant.
Dr Made described preparations for the summer cropping season as “much better and much more advanced” than in the past seven years.
On irrigation development, Dr Made said more equipment is expected from Brazil, China and Belarus for this season, but could not shed more light on the issue.
The European Union has also established 34 small holder irrigation schemes across the country for this season in addition to other irrigation initiatives set up by the Government.
A minimum of 1,5 million hectares of land is set to be put under the maize crop this season.
Dr Made said US$1,53 billion was required for the season with the funds expected from the farmers, banks, Government, contractors and international agencies.
Last week, the Meteorological Services Department projected normal to below normal rainfall for the summer cropping season.
In the 2014-15, the country endured a drought which also affected the rest of Southern Africa.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter