Zimbabwe suspends grain imports

THE Government has suspended grain imports as the country has enough strategic grain reserves with more deliveries from the anticipated bumper harvest expected to boost food security, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said yesterday.

Increased yields are set to stimulate economic growth and help the country save scarce foreign exchange that has been drained from the economy through maize imports during drought periods in the last cropping seasons.

VP Mnangagwa, who toured ARDA Antelope Estate in Maphisa and Ingwizi Estate in Mangwe, said the Government was impressed with the state of the maize crop across the country.

He told a delegation of Cabinet Ministers - Dr Joseph Made (Agriculture), Kembo Mohadi (State Security), Abedinico Ncube (Culture), ARDA board Chair Basil Nyabadza and senior Government officials - that the Command Agriculture scheme, a specialised Government initiative to increase agricultural production in the country, had so far performed beyond expectation and ruled out the possibility of food shortages this year.

"We have been using our money to import grain and that must stop. In the last three to four weeks we stopped importing grain as a country," said the Vice President.

The Government together with the private sector has harnessed about $500 million to finance the Command Agriculture scheme, which targets to produce about two million tonnes of maize from 400 000 hectares this season.

VP Mnangagwa, who leads a Cabinet Committee on Food Security, said an overwhelming number of farmers voluntarily subscribed to the programme and received the necessary support to produce targeted yields.

He said indications were that a majority of farmers under the programme would exceed the minimum five tonnes yield per hectare with some expecting harvests of between 8 to 14 tonnes per hectare.

"In our view the cost of the support won't exceed five tonnes and this means the remainder is profit to the farmer. We have said in four seasons we want to say goodbye to hunger but this target can be done in two seasons," said VP Mnangagwa.

"This is the model to defeat hunger in Zimbabwe. The President (Mugabe) has tasked me to ensure the country produces enough food for Zimbabwe whether there is drought or not. What we need is commitment from all our people at different levels."

Those involved in the Command Scheme are given support in the form of seed, fuel, chemicals, fertiliser and farming equipment with each hectare planted expected to produce five tonnes.

VP Mnangagwa said prospects of exceeding the two million tonnes target were certain given that more farmers who received support under the Presidential Inputs Scheme were also having a promising crop.

The country has over six months' supply of maize, at about 250 000 tonnes at a drawdown rate of 41 189 tonnes per month held under the Strategic Grain Reserve, according to Agriculture,                                                      Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Made. This excludes grain reserves held by the private sector.

The minister last week reported that the area of all major crops planted this season has doubled due to the good rains and the support given to farmers under Command Agriculture. As of January 27, the total area of maize planted was 1 243 624ha, as compared to 773 968ha during the 2015-2016 season, said Dr Made.

Given the success recorded under the Command Agriculture Scheme so far, VP Mnangagwa said the model has been extended to the production of cotton, soya beans as well as livestock. He said increased cotton and soya beans yields were crucial for revitalising agro-processing industries, which have a huge employment creation potential and also assisting the country in import substitution.

As such, the Vice President said, preparations for winter cropping for both maize and wheat were already underway with necessary support available for interested farmers. He said Government's strategy was to utilise every water resource for irrigation farming so as to achieve food security. Government has said it is targeting to plant 70 000ha of wheat, with $140 million required for the purpose. Out of the 8 400 tonnes of seed that is required for the crop, 3 200 is already available, while 35 000 tonnes of Compound fertiliser have also been secured, said Dr Made.

"To date, Treasury has made a provisional budget of $62 million to be channelled towards grain purchase and more resources are being mobilised," said Dr Made last week.

"The Agricultural Marketing Authority is making arrangements as directed by Treasury and $80 million is targeted for that."

Recent reports indicate that the Grain marketing Board (GMB) had a capacity to store four million tonnes of grains at its depots and that $7 million was required to carry out maintenance works at the cylindrical concrete silos countrywide.