Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera-Agriculture Specialist Writer
THE 2026 summer marketing season officially started yesterday with the Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange conducting a maize and soya bean auction to mark a new chapter in agriculture marketing.
The auction launch, hosted by ZMX in Harare, was a hybrid of online and in-person participation and ran under the theme: “Building Transparent Markets for a Prosperous Agricultural Future.”
This comes as farmers have started harvesting the early-planted maize and traditional grains.
In some areas, harvesting has been delayed by the current rains.
Speaking on behalf of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, Business Development, markets and trade chief director, Mr Clement Bwenje, said the landmark event signalled the beginning of the 2025/26 summer crop marketing season.
“For free agriculture commodities produced by non-contracted farmers, individual institutions and contractors (millers, processors and merchants), the event signals a new chapter in the evolution of Zimbabwe’s agricultural markets,” he said.
Mr Bwenje said the agriculture market space had, over the years, experienced bottlenecks such as limited access to structured and reliable markets, price uncertainty and inefficiencies in price discovery, fragmented trading systems and constrained access to affordable and timely financing.
“These challenges have, at times, undermined the full potential of our farmers, our markets and the broader agricultural value chain and rural economy.
“Today, we gather here to change that narrative, courtesy of ZMX, from informality to a structured market system, from uncertainty to transparency, from fragmented markets to an integrated, modern trading system in the form of ZMX,” he said.
Mr Bwenje said the ZMX auction opening was not merely ceremonial, but a practical demonstration of a functioning, structured marketplace where real commodities are traded, real prices are discovered, and farmers unlock real value.
ZMX board chairman, Mr Derek Odoteye, said his organisation was established with a clear mandate of providing a structured, reliable and market-driven platform for price discovery and commodity trade.
“Through this auction system, we are strengthening confidence in agricultural markets by ensuring that value is determined fairly, openly and competitively.
“This auction is therefore more than an event, a signal that Zimbabwe is moving decisively towards modern, rules-based agricultural markets,” he said.
The ZMX chairman called on all stakeholders to actively participate, trade responsibly and uphold the integrity of the market.
“To our farmers, you are the backbone of this market, your resilience, hard work and productivity are what make today possible. This platform exists to ensure that your efforts are rewarded through access to real buyers, real demand and fair pricing,” he said.
Mr Odoteye said buyers, off-takers and financial institutions’ participation was critical in sustaining a vibrant and liquid market.
“Today’s auction presents an opportunity to secure quality commodities transparently and efficiently.
“To our financial institutions and partners, your role in unlocking liquidity and enabling trade cannot be overstated. We encourage you to continue innovating and supporting commodity financing solutions that will deepen market participation and scale volumes,” he said.
In a speech read on her behalf by Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) agribusiness director, Mr Jonathan Mukuruba, AMA chief executive Ms Alice Mapfiza said agriculture remained the backbone of the economy, and efficient marketing systems were essential in ensuring production translated into value, income and national food security.
“Platforms such as ZMX play a pivotal role in improving market access for farmers, facilitating fair and competitive pricing, strengthening linkages across the value chain and enabling structured financing mechanisms that support both production and trade.
“As AMA, we will continue to support and oversee the growth of such platforms to ensure that they operate within a framework that protects all stakeholders while promoting innovation and growth,” she said.
Yesterday’s auction saw yellow maize, maize seed, soya beans and soya meal going under the hammer in 13 lots under the Dutch Auction system.
All these crops were in warehouses within Harare.
Nine lots of grade A products were successfully sold, while four had no bids offered within the allocated auction time period, and no trade took place.
Grade A yellow maize was bought at US$350 per tonne against a reservation price of US$340 per tonne under lot 1.
Under lot 8 category, 300 tonnes of soya beans were sold at US$550 per tonne, a US$10 increase from the reservation price of US$540.
Meanwhile, the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) said it is ready for the marketing season with capacity to take in more than 860 000 tonnes.
Farmers will be paid for the deliveries within 30 days.
GMB chief executive, Dr Edison Badarai said his organisation had made arrangements with various millers and processors where it buys grain on behalf of these clients, and this also provides a ready market for farmers.
“As clearly indicated in National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2), Government, through Treasury, has committed to paying farmers within 30 days of delivery, and this motivates them to continue working with GMB in a sustainable and long-term partnership for mutual benefit,” he said.
As part of its role to ensure procurement and storage of the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR), GMB has been expanding its storage capacity with latest smart silos.
“Our silo storage capacity has increased following commissioning of the Kwekwe and Mutare Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered smart silos, which holds 56 000 tonnes each, to make the current silo capacity 862 000 tonnes.
“The other 12 smart silos are at different stages of completion,” he said.
Dr Badarai said the board had 89 depots that were ready, and an additional 1 804 collection points in each ward that farmers could utilise for grain marketing.
Government’s role through GMB in agriculture markets remains limited to purchase and management of SGR and providing storage facilities for Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX) and non-contracted farmers.
Peter Tanyanyiwa