Govt extends grain loan scheme!

Grain Marketing Board (GMB) general manager Mr Albert Mandizha said Government has extended the grain loan scheme to March next year to cushion villagers whose crops were wiped off by a dry spell during this cropping season.

The scheme was initially scheduled to end at the harvesting of the current crops.

However, with the second national crop assessment results indicating that about 30 percent of most crops had been severely affected by poor rains, it became necessary to extend the scheme.

Mandizha made the revelations at a groundnutfield day at the Kamunya homestead in Kotwa, Mudzi, recently.

"The GMB will continue implementing the grain loan scheme for the Government until March next year when we expect a better harvest.

"This is a Government recommendation after considering the drought and low yields expected in some parts of the country. District administrators' offices will compile the list of beneficiaries," said Mr Mandizha.

Under the scheme, all households facing food deficits â€" including A2 farmers â€" are eligible to get maize from GMB.

The local leadership such as chiefs, headmen and councillors are entitled to get a 50kg bag of maize per month.

GMB corporate communications manager Ms Muriel Zemura recently confirmed that the uptake of the grain was very high, an indication that there was a serious deficit.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made hinted that the allocation per household per month can be reviewed upwards if need arises.

Government has since established 511 collection points for grain across the country and 600 000 households are expected to benefit.

The number is likely to rise as many farmers had their crops destroyed by the dry spell.

For households that have cash, a bag of maize is priced at US$16 at the GMB. The farmers are expected to repay through deliveries to GMB the following season.

GMB on the other hand buys grain from farmers at US$285 per tonne and later sells a tonne to millers for US$320 as single units making a profit of US$35.

Provinces that face perennial food shortages include parts of Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South and North and some parts of Midlands.

Mr Mandizha said GMB will start buying groundnuts by April 10.

"We are going to buy on site as usual and pay cash to the farmers. Bear with us at times when we run out of cash because we at times have problems in getting cash from the bank," he said.

Farmers at the field day were part of the group of 3 252 farmers contracted by GMB to grow groundnuts.

Kotwa has 1 152, while Rushinga has 1 200 and Mutawatawa in Murehwa has 900 farmers under the programme.

GMB initiated the programme to increase the production of groundnuts as a way of boosting both food security and farmers' earnings.

"Prices for groundnuts will be determined during the purchasing time and as agreed in our contracts we will be using the prevailing market prices.

"The situation is also the same with maize and small grains. Farmers are encouraged to visit their GMB depots and declare excess maize that they will sell.

"Producer prices are not yet available, but will be announced in due course," said Mr Mandizha.