Zimbabwe Farmers Demand Increase in Maize Price
April 7, 2014
Agriculture Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald
Farmers want a minimum maize producer price of between US$400 and US$500 per tonne for the grain marketing season which opened last Monday. But the Grain Marketing Board, which is the major buyer of grain, is offering US$378 per tonne. Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa said US$400 was a fair price considering the high production costs incurred by farmers.
“Government should announce a price that will enable the farmer to break even and be able to go back to the land,” he said. “Emphasis should be put on re-capacitating the GMB. Of course, it may announce high prices but it should have the ready cash to pay farmers.”
Mr Chabikwa said GMB had always been offering reasonable prices although farmers ended up selling their grain to private buyers who paid cash.
“Private buyers will take advantage of GMB’s incapacity to pay instantly and they will reduce their prices,” he said.
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust president Mrs Depinah Nkomo said many farmers had a good maize crop this season and they should be rewarded through an improved producer price.
“The maize producer price should be attractive,” she said. “Many farmers are shifting from cotton and maize to tobacco because of low prices. As long as a crop is fetching high prices, farmers will produce it.
“Government should encourage production of food crops by offering high prices. We should not be importing maize when we have farmers.
“The only way of reducing imports is to fund farmers and this can be done by offering better prices early.”
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made recently said his Finance counterpart, Patrick Chinamasa, was mobilising funds to buy grain.
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| Zimbabwe farmers are seeking higher prices for their crops. |
Agriculture Reporter
Zimbabwe Herald
Farmers want a minimum maize producer price of between US$400 and US$500 per tonne for the grain marketing season which opened last Monday. But the Grain Marketing Board, which is the major buyer of grain, is offering US$378 per tonne. Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa said US$400 was a fair price considering the high production costs incurred by farmers.
“Government should announce a price that will enable the farmer to break even and be able to go back to the land,” he said. “Emphasis should be put on re-capacitating the GMB. Of course, it may announce high prices but it should have the ready cash to pay farmers.”
Mr Chabikwa said GMB had always been offering reasonable prices although farmers ended up selling their grain to private buyers who paid cash.
“Private buyers will take advantage of GMB’s incapacity to pay instantly and they will reduce their prices,” he said.
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust president Mrs Depinah Nkomo said many farmers had a good maize crop this season and they should be rewarded through an improved producer price.
“The maize producer price should be attractive,” she said. “Many farmers are shifting from cotton and maize to tobacco because of low prices. As long as a crop is fetching high prices, farmers will produce it.
“Government should encourage production of food crops by offering high prices. We should not be importing maize when we have farmers.
“The only way of reducing imports is to fund farmers and this can be done by offering better prices early.”
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made recently said his Finance counterpart, Patrick Chinamasa, was mobilising funds to buy grain.
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