GMB expands grain collection network for harvest season

THE Grain Marketing Board (GMB) will establish 1,804 grain collection points and operate 89 depots across the country to facilitate the smooth and cost-effective delivery of maize and traditional grains during the 2025/2026 summer crops marketing season.

The measures are aimed at ensuring farmers can conveniently deliver their produce while improving grain aggregation for the Strategic Grain Reserve.

Providing an update to Cabinet on the 2025/2026 Summer Crops Marketing and 2026 Winter Crops Production Plan on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka said the GMB currently holds grain stocks amounting to 169,946 metric tonnes of maize, traditional grains and wheat.

Masuka said government had also put in place mechanisms to ensure farmers, transporters and service providers receive payments on time.

"The proposed marketing arrangements note that there are five categories of farmers, namely farmers financed under the climate-proofed Presidential Input Scheme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa), self-financed farmers, those supported by AFC and CBZ financial institutions, farmers financed by private contractors and farmers financed by ARDA," Masuka said.

He revealed that the GMB had already begun receiving grain deliveries from various producers.

"During the 2025/2026 marketing season, GMB has received 40,693.28 metric tonnes of grain from ARDA and substantial intake from communal farmers for the Strategic Grain Reserve. GMB also plans to aggregate grain from farmers through its 1,804 collection points and 89 depots," he said.

The expanded collection network is expected to reduce transport costs for farmers and improve the efficiency of grain deliveries, particularly in remote rural areas.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's tobacco sector continues to record strong performance, with sales volumes and earnings increasing significantly compared to the previous season.

Masuka told Cabinet that 330.6 million kilogrammes of tobacco had been sold so far at an average price of US$2.50 per kilogramme.

The figure represents an 11% increase in sales volume compared to the 299.2 million kilogrammes sold during the previous season.

Government also reported improvements in auction floor prices after periods of volatility earlier in the marketing season.

"Auction tobacco prices in 2026 have shown gradual recovery despite periods of mid-season volatility," Masuka said.

"Average auction prices increased from around US$1.60 per kilogramme at the start of the season to approximately US$2.54 per kilogramme on day 71 of the tobacco marketing season, reflecting improved market performance in recent weeks."

The cotton sector has also registered substantial growth, reflecting increased production and deliveries by farmers.

As of last week, 5,079,907 kilogrammes of cotton had been marketed, a dramatic increase from the 310,625 kilogrammes recorded during the corresponding period last year.

The positive performance in grain, tobacco and cotton marketing comes as government intensifies efforts to strengthen food security, build strategic grain reserves and boost agricultural production under various support programmes.

With the establishment of more than 1,800 grain collection points nationwide, authorities are hoping to ensure efficient grain marketing while encouraging farmers to deliver their harvests promptly during the current marketing season.