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Edgar Vhera-Agriculture Specialist Writer

IN a move meant to improve professionalism and transparency between farmers and contractors, the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has revealed the minimum soya bean and sunflower inputs packages for the 2022/23 cropping season.

AMA chief executive officer Mr Clever Isaya recently when explained that the Statutory Instruments, which govern cotton and grains and oilseeds farming had provisions for minimum packages under contract farming arrangements.

“Though contract farming agreements vary in nature, the minimum input package outlines the basic inputs that need to be provided by the contractor to the farmer so that the expected output is achieved,” said Mr Isaya during the registration of contractors recently.

This has a dual purpose of protecting the investments by the contractor, as well as allowing the farmers to be liable to the level of support rendered to them.

“This serves the purposes of protecting the investments by contractors while ensuring that farmers’ obligations are limited to the level of support given by the contractor,” further explained Mr Isaya.

The following tables depicts the minimum soya bean input package:

Source: AMA

The sunflower minimum input package is depicted in the table below.

Source: AMA

AMA has also brought to light that there is a compliance administration framework that contractors should adhere to in the execution of their contracting operations.

“Contractors and other stakeholders agree on a minimum input package before the start of the season. This culminates in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between AMA and the contractors. There are also provisions for the authority to carry out inspections of the warehouses of the contractors to check the inputs before they are distributed to the farmers.

“In the same vein, contractors provide proof of input support to the authority once they have finished contracting farmers. This allows for reconciliations to be done in the background with the input suppliers. Validation exercises are carried out to verify the information provided by the contractors on contracted hectarage using the AMA database,” disclosed Mr Isaya.

Farmers have complained that contractors provided them with inputs late and as a result their yields are compromised rendering them unable to repay loans.

“The dates for the last inputs distribution are clearly stated in the Statutory Instrument 118 of 2022. Hence, the first tranche and second tranche for cotton input distribution ends on December 31 and February 28 of each year respectively,” said Mr Isaya.

In a related matter AMA has extended by two weeks the registration of all institutions wishing to participate in the provision of agricultural inputs and contracting services to October 15.

“AMA advises that the registration by all institutions or individuals involved in contract farming, manufacturing, buying or selling of agricultural inputs for the 2022/2023 agricultural season has been extended to October 15.”

The authority also revealed that self-financed farmers were required to register within that same stipulated period with late registration attracting penalties in terms of the relevant regulations.