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Dr Made

Government has made a provisional budget of $62 million for grain purchase this year, while modalities to secure additional funding are being worked on, a Cabinet Minister said last week.

Zimbabwe expects a bumper harvest this season following good rains which coincided with the roll-out of a $500 million dollar three-year command agriculture scheme introduced to address perennial food shortages.

Government has already set the maize producer price for this year, unchanged, at $390 per tonne. Maize is the country’s staple food.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made said preparations for post-harvest activities were already being made in anticipation of a good harvest.

“To date treasury has made a provisional budget of $62 million to be channelled towards grain purchases. More resources are being mobilised,” he said while giving oral evidence before the Senate Thematic Committee on Peace and Security.

“The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) is also making some arrangements as directed by treasury, we also raise finances through AMA, and another $80 million is targeted for that.”

Dr Made said the total area put under maize countrywide in the 2016 /17 farming season (all schemes included) was 1,2 million hectares compared to 773 000 hectares the previous season.

Of that total, 153 000 hectares were planted under command agriculture, of which about 66 percent of the area planted had “very good” yield prospects.

He said more could have been achieved under the command agriculture scheme were it not for several challenges faced, chiefly input shortages.

“What was the most limiting factor is the fertilizers (which were in short supply),” he said.

Dr Made said the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) was also renovating and repairing silos in readiness to receive grain.

Speaking on the current food security situation, Dr Made said as at March 2, 2017, the Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) stood at 250 000 tonnes, providing cover for about six months.

He said, ideally, the SGR should have between 500 000-700 000 tonnes of grain, which provided at least 24 months’ cover.

“This is just one good season that we have had in terms of rainfall. The objective is to address the question of maize as and when there is a drought, first what we must do we must make sure that what we are going to harvest this season we preserve it properly in terms of our SGR,” he said.

He added: “That is why we are battling to ensure that the GMB’s grain storage facilities are in good condition.” The country has in past seasons failed to produce enough maize to meet its requirements due to a cocktail of factors including droughts and poor planning. — New Ziana.