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Grain millers say they can supply enough maize meal to consumers to mitigate the El Niño-induced drought which is expected to reduce yields drastically.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) president Tafadzwa Musarara on Tuesday said they have imported more than 200 000 metric tonnes of maize since October last year. Musarara told <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/business/article/200021866/weve-enough-stocks-to-meet-demand-millers">NewsDay</a>:
<blockquote>
The grain milling sector is fully geared to adequately provide maize meal during this current drought season. This is not the first time to encounter such adversity.
Our ability to import sufficient stocks of maize is on record. From mid-October 2023 to date, for instance, we imported 207 000 metric tonnes of maize. The activity continues.
</blockquote>
This comes after Harare experienced a shortage of mealie meal during the past several weeks.
The maize meal shortage was attributed to high demand during the holiday season, coupled with supply chain issues.
In response, the Government recently called an urgent meeting with different stakeholders to come up with a plan of action to ensure that mealie meal is available.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) president Denford Mutashu told NewsDay that mealie-meal deliveries have resumed in Harare. He said:
<blockquote>
Deliveries only started on Saturday in the central business district and surrounding areas.
Today (on Monday), about 10 residential areas are receiving deliveries, for instance, Mabvuku, Mbare, Chitungwiza, Highfield, Glenview, Mufakose, Hatcliffe, Budiriro and Dzivaresekwa.
Deliveries are made through formal shops and CZR urges shop managers to not tarnish their brands by diverting the product to the black market as the mealie-meal is serialised.
</blockquote>
On 3 January 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce met key stakeholders, including various Government Agencies and the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe to deliberate on the maize supply situation in the country.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Sithembiso said grain millers expressed their commitment to supply the country with adequate maize meal.
She said the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) had also committed to avail and distribute maize to the millers through its various depots countrywide.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

We Have Enough Maize Stocks To Meet Demand - Grain Millers

In August, the Zimbabwean government revealed plans to export around 60,000 tonnes of surplus wheat stocks in 2024. This decision comes as the country anticipates another successful wheat harvest this year, resulting in an excess supply beyond domestic needs. At the same time, Zimbabwe is among six African countries that are expected to import 50,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia. This has left some people confused.
According to a report from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Zimbabwe is expecting to yield 420,000 tonnes of wheat from its winter crop. This indicates a positive outlook for the country’s agricultural sector in terms of wheat production. Read the report:
<blockquote>
The country planted 90 000 hectares of wheat in the current winter cropping season from which we expect 420 000 tonnes of wheat, which is about 60 000 more than the national requirement.
Because of the targeted harvest, the country will be self-sufficient for a second year running and we will be able to export wheat to our sister countries in Africa.
</blockquote>
Agronomist Anderson Magura affirms that Zimbabwe’s recent agricultural achievements, notably in wheat and maize production, are accurately represented by the projected harvest figures. Previously, the country experienced bread price increases due to shortages of both local and imported wheat, forcing millers to heavily depend on imported wheat funded through the black market.
Meanwhile, at the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to provide grain aid of up to 50,000 tons to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic within the next three to four months. While discussing the halted Black Sea grain deal, Putin said:
<blockquote>
Our country will continue supporting needy states and regions, in particular, with its humanitarian deliveries. We seek to actively participate in building a fairer system of distribution of resources. We are taking maximum efforts to avert a global food crisis.
I have already said that our country can replace Ukrainian grain, both on a commercial basis and as grant aid to the neediest African countries, more so since we expect another record harvest this year.
</blockquote>
On Wednesday, Russia announced that Turkey has tentatively agreed to handle one million metric tonnes of grain to be sent to Africa at a discounted price. This arrangement is supported financially by Qatar. Russia proposed this plan after terminating a previous deal in July that allowed Ukraine to safely ship grain from its Black Sea ports in an effort to stabilize rising global food prices, which were worsened by Russia’s invasion. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters:
<blockquote>
All agreements in principle have been reached. We expect that in the near future we will enter into working contacts with all parties to work out all the technical aspects of the scheme for such deliveries.
</blockquote>
Turkey will handle the onward export of Russian grain, but the details of its role are unclear. Russia terminated the prior deal due to obstacles to its grain exports caused by sanctions and dissatisfaction with grain distribution to poorer countries.
<h3>Why Is Zimbabwe Simultaneously Exporting And Importing Wheat</h3>
For the past two decades, Zimbabwe has been blending imported wheat from Russia, Canada, and Australia with local wheat to produce bread flour. Blending occurs at various points in the supply chain, taking into account factors such as the original grain quality, desired final product quality, and contractual obligations. Zimbabwe imports approximately 30% of its total hard wheat requirements to blend different varieties and produce high-quality flour for delicious, long-lasting bread, according to <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Tafadzwa_Musarara/">Tafadzwa Musarara</a>, Chairman of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe. He said:
<blockquote>
The quality of our local wheat is good, compared to the regional wheat and it is doing well in the production of biscuits and a number of other products. In relation to bread, we have to mix varieties to give us good durable bread such as Russian wheat flour.
</blockquote>
The National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe (NBAZ) recently expressed concerns about the quality of locally produced wheat. According to NBAZ Vice President Sharon Maparura, the desired ratio is roughly 70% local wheat and 30% imported wheat, but shortages of foreign currency for importing blending wheat often result in a higher proportion of local wheat, impacting flour quality. This requires additional costs for enzymes and additives, ultimately affecting consumers.
Tafadzwa Musarara noted that instances of poor-quality local wheat in Zimbabwe are rare and usually caused by limited water for irrigation during wheat production.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Why Zimbabwe Is Simultaneously Exporting And Importing Wheat

Grain millers have welcomed the government’s decision to suspend the importation of maize meal to protect millers from unfair pricing by “opportunists.”
The suspension of the import permits would allow fair competition on the market, NewsDay reported quoting Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) chairperson, Tafadzwa Musarara.
Speaking at a meeting for the Northern Region members yesterday, Musarara said:
<blockquote>
We are happy that the importation of maize meal has been suspended after the lapse of the open general licence. Our Millers have been facing challenges through unfair competition by opportunists.
Some of these opportunists have been buying maize grain through side marketing thereby prejudicing us.
Government will not issue permits for the importation of maize meal this time. But millers will be given permits through the association to import maize grain. This will help us to have fair pricing competition on the market. As millers, we will soon embark on a blitz to ensure that we stop any importation of flour or maize meal.
</blockquote>
In May 2021, the government banned maize imports and suspended import licences for maize grain, maize meal and other maize products to support domestic farmers and millers.
In February 2022, the government reversed the ban and allowed individuals and companies with free funds to import and ensure regular supply for the milling industry and stockfeed manufacturers.
This was after surveys by the government and its partners, including the World Food Programme, had established that about 5.4 million (36%) of Zimbabweans are facing hunger in the current season.
Government critics say <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Command_Agriculture_2016">billions of dollars that were used in recent years allegedly to boost the agriculture sector</a> were abused by political elites.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

"We're Happy Importation Of Maize Meal Has Been Suspended" - Millers

NewsDay in Harare, Bulawayo, and other cities has revealed a price increase on basic commodities such as mealie-meal, rice, flour, salt, cooking oil, among others due to inflationary pressures as the economy continuously nosedives. It also observed that some retailers have stopped putting price tags on goods as they continuously change at a regular basis.
Consequently, many people have resorted to panic buying as more retail shops resort to charging in US dollars with government joining in the bandwagon.
Most shops have doubled prices for basic commodities since two weeks ago. This comes at a time when the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chairman Tafadzwa Musarara has announced that mealie-meal prices would be reviewed upwards. NewsDay reports that a 10kg bag of mealie-meal would go up from ZWL$11,85 to ZWL$18.
Musarara said:
<blockquote>We have agreed on the margins and we hope that prices won’t change every week or every day.
However, should they be so frequent, we have put mechanisms that we should change those prices as frequent as necessary and communicate to our colleagues.</blockquote>
Workers have been over the past few weeks threatening to demonstrate against the soaring inflation which has eroded their salaries. Living standards have deteriorated as the cost of living is increasing on a daily basis. Several households now live below the poverty datum line.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/05/prices-shock/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NewsDay</a>

Prices Of Basic Commodities Shoot Up Again

The chairman of the Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), Mr. Tafadzwa Musarara has hinted on mealie meal price increase. He says this would be in response to the 70% increase in producer prices.
Musarara notes that despite the nation having grain to take it through to the harvest time, the set producer prices cannot be ignored. The chairman noted:
<blockquote>Government has increased the price of maize by a huge margin and we appreciate the reasons for doing that.
We are also grateful that they have given us a 38 percent subsidy, the net effect of it is that maize has gone up by close to 70 percent and it’s a cost that we can’t absorb.
So, therefore, today’s meeting was to discuss the next maize meal prices. We have agreed on when we are going to increase it but we can’t announce to you before we advise the Government on the increase in prices of mealie meal. But we will be advising Government today (yesterday) on the net effect of that but there is going to be an increase, we can’t stomach 70 percent.</blockquote>
<h3>Related:</h3>
<ul>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/04/10/biti-condemns-maize-producer-price-controls/" rel="bookmark">Biti Condemns Maize Producer Price Controls</a></li>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/03/30/enough-maize-grain-in-stock-says-shiri/" rel="bookmark">Enough Maize Grain In Stock, Says Shiri</a></li>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2019/03/17/govt-says-zim-has-enough-maize-for-7-months/" rel="bookmark">Govt Says Zim Has Enough Maize For 7 Months</a></li>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2018/10/29/farmers-to-push-for-producer-price-increase-if-maize-seed-price-remains-high/" rel="bookmark">Farmers To Push For Producer Price Increase If Maize Seed Price Remains High</a></li>
<li class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2018/10/29/no-reason-for-maize-seed-producers-to-hike-prices-industry-minister/" rel="bookmark">No Reason For Maize Seed Producers To Hike Prices- Industry Minister</a></li>
</ul>
More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/mealie-meal-price-set-to-go-up/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Chronicle</a>

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