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Deputy Minister Marapira

George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Grain deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board have hit 540 000 tonnes, with an additional 100 satellite depots having been opened countrywide to stock grain from the bumper harvest realised in the just-ended farming season.

The development comes as most GMB silos in places such as Lions’ Den, Concession and Chegutu have already filled up with maize delivered by farmers.

Zimbabwe is this year expecting an aggregate over four million tonnes of food crops after a successful farming season that was anchored on the Government’s Command Agriculture, which saw farmers receiving agricultural inputs support from the State on loan.

Tens of thousands of rural farmers also received inputs support through the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme, which targets mainly communal A1 farmers who get seed and fertilisers for free.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Davis Marapira revealed that over 500 000 tonnes of maize had been delivered to GMB depots to date.

Deputy Minister Marapira said grain deliveries were expected to intensify this month as most of the maize had reached the required moisture content level of 12,5 percent.

‘“Most GMB silos in areas such as Concession, Lions’ Den, Chegutu and Banket have now filled up with maize delivered by farmers and we have since started moving some of the maize to other smaller depots to create space for more deliveries,’’ he said.

“We have also since engaged millers to start collecting maize from these depots that have filled up so that we create space for more maize as more deliveries continue to come.’’

Deputy Minister Marapira said Government was working flat out to make sure there were enough grain bags to pack the maize pending delivery to GMB.

“Grain bags are coming from South Africa and we hope to have sufficient stocks to meet demand from farmers,” he said. “By September, we hope that GMB would have collected more than one million tonnes of maize, because we expect deliveries to pick up beginning this month as most of the grain has attained the required moisture content level of 12,5 percent.’’

Deputy Minister Marapira said that more GMB satellite depots to collect maize from farmers will continue to be opened as and when it was necessary.

“We were lucky that over the past three weeks, most parts of the country recorded high temperatures, which expedited the drying of maize that was already in the fields,” he said. “Most of our farmers also managed to acquire grain dryers, so we are now expecting grain deliveries to pick up.’’

Police, he said, had impounded Zimbabwe-bound trucks laden with maize that was coming from Zambia, saying that it was a clear sign that Government was strict on the maize importation ban.

He said the trucks would be released, after it emerged that they were carrying GMB maize that was purchased from Zambia, but delivered late.

“We have since established that the trucks were carrying GMB maize,” said Deputy Minister Marapira. “That maize is State property and the trucks will be released.

“The maize was paid for by GMB, but delivered late after we had already stopped importation of maize in February. Government is serious on the maize import ban and no grain imports will be accepted.”

The Command Agriculture programme is credited for turning around the country’s agricultural fortunes, with Zimbabwe this year expecting to bank in over 2,1 million tonnes of the staple maize crop.

This will make the country self-sufficient in food for the first time in years as it used to rely on food imports.