HARARE – The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, has started receiving grain deliveries, with 300 tonnes already delivered to its 14 depots.
The GMB CEO, Dr Edson Badarai, stated that they are expecting around 500,000 tonnes of grain this season. Nationally, farmers have delivered 12,000 tonnes of maize, 938 tonnes of red sorghum, 1,623 tonnes of white sorghum, 6 tonnes of millet, and 2,331 tonnes of soybeans.
This represents an improvement compared to the previous season.
Dr Badarai emphasized that grain trade has been liberalized this season but urged farmers to sell their grain to contractors who have supported them with inputs or financed their production. He also mentioned that farmers with sponsored crops, such as those participating in the Presidential Inputs Programme, should deliver their grain to the GMB.
Farmers in Manicaland are expected to receive payment within a week of delivering their grain. The GMB has set the price for maize and traditional grains at US$335 per tonne, with US$200 paid in cash and the remaining US$135 in local currency at the interbank rate.
The price for soybeans has been set at US$580, with US$348 paid in foreign currency and US$232 in local currency. The price for sunflower is US$696, with US$418 in foreign currency and the balance of US$276 in local currency.
Government-supported programmes like the Presidential Inputs Programme and Pfumvudza Programme have contributed to increased grain production and food security in Manicaland.
The Pfumvudza Programme, which accounted for 56% of grain produced in the province last season, provides households with specific crop inputs for various crops.
