Those who spoke to The Zimbabwean said the high selling prices being offered and the efficient payment method had enticed them. One farmer from Esigodini, Langton Gwete, was fed up with the Grain Marketing Board and is glad he chose to venture into soya beans.
“I tried soya beans for the first time on my seven hectare plot in Trenance after the GMB failed to pay me for two years in a row. As soon as I harvested my crop, I was promised on-the-spot payment by two soya bean dealers,” said Gwete.
According to the Zimbabwe Farmers Union, Staywell Trading was offering the highest price for soya beans last marketing season at $520 per tonne. The price of maize last marketing season ranged between $225 and $280.
“Soya beans are a money spinner but it is capital intensive and requires more water than maize and other cash crops such as cotton. The crop also requires expensive chemicals,” said Gwete.
Another farmer who experimented with the crop this season is Edmore Ndlovu, a newly resettled farmer in Bubi.
”The soya bean seed is very expensive but the returns are high. A local company from Harare contracted me and other farmers to produce the crop but we are worried about the high cost of the seed. We have already finished harvesting the crop and we are waiting for the company to honor its promise,” said Ndlovu.
He added that there was a need for the government and other stakeholders to come up with a regulatory system governing contracts for farmers as there are investors willing to venture into soya bean production.
Post published in: Agriculture
I would like to have contacts for soya beans farmers.
Thank you