Most farmers are keeping their maize for their own use or selling it on the black market. The GMB has pegged the price at $260 per tonne, while the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMA) has proposed $400. The prices being offered are far too low. We will make a loss and will not be able to venture into the same business next season, said David Mutasa, a resettled farmer in Odzi.
He said $600 per tonne was fair and viable for farmers and that the GMB should evaluate the high input charges incurred by farmers last year. A tonne of maize required about two bags of compound D and bag of ammonium nitrate, which means a farmer used about $100 on fertilizer alone last season.
Another farmer warned the countrys maize reserves could further dwindle as farmers were bound to sell their produce to other competitive buyers. The government liberalised the marketing of grain in a move that is set to increase competition for GMB which previously enjoyed a monopoly. The farmers called for increased assistance from government so that they can achieve optimum production and contribute to the development of the agricultural sector.
Lovemore Chitora, a war veteran and a beneficiary of the chaotic land reform said the previous Zanu (PF) government had not done enough in equipping the new farmers with inputs and technical knowledge. “The need for skills and knowledge support to emerging farmers is a crucial component in realizing the development of the sector,” said the farmer. Another farmer, Jameson Chaitezvi, said: It has been very difficult for us to operate properly because the previous government just neglected and dumped us here without giving us the required inputs.
We cannot achieve the objective of the land reform if we are not supported by the government. We need to be trained and offered technical assistance, said David Samuriwo another farmer in the area. Government should supply enough inputs to the farmers so that they can increase production. There is need for them to be trained on various farming programmes and be well versed in technology. But, we have been failing to do so because of few resources, said Joseph Chabwa from Agritex.
Post published in: News