HARARE – Zimbabwe has revised its cereal production projection for this season to 2,5 million tonnes from two million as signs are pointing to a bumper harvest, a cabinet minister said on Monday.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister, Dr Joseph Made told senior army students at the Zimbabwe Staff College that Government had already secured $137 million to pay maize farmers on delivery to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Government this year financed the bulk of maize production under the command agriculture programme, to boost production of the staple cereal and cut on imports.
The programme, is forecast to cost around $500 million for the next three summer cropping seasons, after which a review will be made on whether to continue with it or not.
“Cereal production is now expected to surpass 2,5 million tonnes, no longer the two million that we mentioned sometime back. We have revised it upwards,” Dr Made said.
“This includes maize, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet.”
Dr Made said the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) was in the process of mobilising a further $85 million for grain purchases.
“Financial mobilisation towards maize deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board now stands at $137 million that has been raised out of which $34 million has already been deposited with the GMB through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,” he said.
He said the GMB will buy the maize from farmers at $390 per tonne.
“A total of $160 million has been disbursed towards the special maize programme, command agriculture initiative and the figure keeps on going up as we are now going to the harvesting side as we will also be supporting the farmers with combine harvesters,” Dr Made said.
“We will know the total amount at the end of the harvesting period.”
A total of 168 000 hectares was planted in all of the country’s provinces, involving 36 472 farmers, he said.
“Do not confuse the command agriculture initiative undertaken by Zimbabwe (with others),” Dr Made told the army students, who also included some from neighbouring countries.
“Our programme is very unique because it is voluntary. No farmer has been driven to join the programme. No one is forced to join the programme. The programme only has issues in terms of what you are expected to do (when you have signed up).”
To support the initiate, he said government would no longer be issuing maize import permits after an agreement with the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe. The association had also agreed to purchase 800 000 tonnes of maize from the GMB. Zimbabwe has had to rely on maize imports to bridge production gaps in past seasons
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