Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union President Wonder Chabikwa said maize harvesting was only beginning in earnest now. Farmers unions recently submitted proposals to the overnment to peg the producer price for maize at $400 per tonne up from the $295 which the Grain Marketing Board is currently paying.
Chabikwa said some private buyers were buying maize at $380 per tonne. Farmers have been complaining about rising production costs which they say are not being matched by increases in the selling price.
Government is yet to fix the producer price for this year but Finance Minister Tendai Biti said in his State of The Economy Report for the first quarter last week that farmers should expect a major announcement.
Soya bean farmers are already in full marketing season. “The demand for soya beans is very high but the problem is that buyers determine the price and currently it’s a buyers’ market,” he said.
The price is hovering around $580 per tonne currently but Chabikwa said a fair price would be $700 per tonne, adding that only with a commodity exchange would farmers get the right price for their products. The Commodity Exchange Zimbabwe was launched two years ago but has not operated because of bureaucracy, lack of co-ordination between various government bodies and poor funding.
Post published in: News