The Government on Friday announced producer prices for strategic crops such as maize, traditional grains, soya bean, and sunflower.
The Grain Market Board (GMB) will only purchase strategic commodities financed under the Presidential Input Programme as well as by self-financed farmers.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Anxious Masuka, at a media briefing in Harare.
GMB will pay a floor producer price of US$335 per metric tonne for maize and traditional grains.
For soya beans and sunflowers, GMB will pay US$580 and US$696, per tonne respectively.
The prices will be partly paid in foreign currency and the remainder in Zimbabwe dollars at the prevailing interbank rate.
The Government has also set a pre-planting producer price of US$520 per metric tonne of wheat. Said Masuka:
<blockquote>
A floor producer price of US$335 per metric tonne of maize and traditional grains is paid to farmers by GMB as US$200 in foreign currency plus US$135 in local currency.
US$580 per metric tonne for soya beans paid as US$348 in foreign currency and US$232 in local at the interbank rate.
</blockquote>
The Government has also liberalised the marketing of grain with all contractors allowed to buy back contracted crops.
Self-financed farmers will also sell their produce in the market or to the Grain Marketing Board.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Govt Announces Producer Prices For Grains, Soya Beans

The government has announced new regulations that seek to control the sale, transportation and export of soya beans.
The recently gazetted Statutory Instrument 97 of 2021 primarily deals with how soya bean contract farmers are supposed to sell and transport their soya bean produce but also bans the export of soya beans.
According to SI 97 of 2021, only the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) will be allowed to export soya beans.
Some of the key provisions of the new Statutory Instrument are as follows:
<ul>
<li>No person or statutory body or company or entity under a contractual obligation to sell to a contractor or to the Grain Marketing Board shall sell or otherwise dispose of any soya beans except to such contractor or to the Grain Marketing Board.</li>
<li>Any soya beans which is required to be sold to the Grain Marketing Board in terms of this section shall be delivered to the Grain Marketing Board at such time, place, and quantities as the Board may direct and under such terms and conditions as the Grain Marketing Board may provide.</li>
<li>No person, statutory body, company or entity shall buy or otherwise acquire any soya beans from a contract farmer without a prior contractual obligation to do so.</li>
<li>No person shall use or dispose of soya beans acquired through the Grain Marketing Board for use as seed otherwise than for such purpose except with the written permission of the Grain Marketing Board.</li>
<li>A contract farmer is permitted to keep or transport not more than two bags of soya beans of a capacity not exceeding 50 kilograms per bag from one area of the country to the other without any authorisation from the Grain Marketing Board.</li>
<li>With effect from the date of commencement of these regulations, no person other than the Grain Marketing Board shall export from Zimbabwe soya beans of any quantity or any description until such a date that shall be specified by the Minister by way of notice in the Gazette.</li>
<li>In order to secure the contracted obligations, a contracted farmer or producer shall deliver contract produce in accordance with the agreed provisions of a scheme contract, or to the Grain Marketing 
Board.</li>
<li>Where there is reasonable suspicion that soya beans are being sold in contravention of these regulations— an authorised person; or police officer… may seize the soya beans in question or seize any vehicle, container, or other property used in connection with the storage or transportation of the soya beans in question as an exhibit in the contemplated prosecution of the offence, in accordance with the provisions of these regulations.</li>
</ul>
<h4>More: <a href="https://zimpricecheck.com/news/government-bans-the-exporting-of-soya-beans/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Zimpricecheck</a></h4>

Maize Latest News

Latest Jobs