Zimpapers Logo

DELIVERIES to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) have now surpassed the country’s Grain Strategic Reserve requirement with more than 600 000 tonnes having been delivered so far.

“We are receiving about 12 000 tonnes on a daily basis. So far, we have over 600 000 tonnes of grains. Over half a million of the grains is maize so our depots are busy as farmers intensify deliveries,” said GMB chief executive officer Mr Rockie Mutenha.

 GMB is also set to announce over 1 400 mobile buying points this Sunday as part of efforts to decongest GMB depots in compliance with Covid-19 safety guidelines and to bring convenience to farmers.

“We have come up with 1 400 collections and mobile buying points which will be announced this Sunday. We want to ensure farmers do not congest our depots. 

“We also encourage farmers to group, move their grains to one collection point and approach their nearest depot manager to assist them with transport to ferry grains to GMB,” he said.

Over 80 percent of all grain delivered so far has been paid for while GMB is appealing to those with trucks to register with their depots to move grain as the mobile buying initiative comes into effect next week.

Zimbabwe is set to achieve a record harvest of 2,7 million tonnes of maize this season following a good rainy season and various Government programmes such as Pfumvudza/Intwasa and the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme.

The annual national maize requirement is 1,8 million tonnes. — ZBC/Herald Reporter.