The Sunday News
THE Government says it will continue supporting the agricultural sector which is the economic backbone of the country and consider banning the importation of maize to promote local production of the country’s staple crop.
Addressing businesspeople in Bulawayo last week Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko said the country must consciously move towards supporting local farmers and millers who have over the years been crying foul over lack of support.
He encouraged the business community to put collective efforts in resuscitating the economy.
“We need a business community that looks at all sectors. But we should remember that our economy is agro-based.
“Agriculture is therefore critical and if we have a negative attitude towards it the hope of reviving our economy will remain a pipe dream.
“We cannot be eating maize from Zambia, when we have local farmers and millers here,” he said.
The VP continued: “Agriculture is a serious sector. As a father you should get worried when you see your children eating next door. It is not a good sign. The challenge is that when people are given advances (loans) by the banks for agriculture, they are not honest enough, some people find it as an opportunity to externalise that money they will have been advanced and not to do intended projects. They just inject a small amount and the rest goes out of the country.
“The amount of money injected into the business and the produce do not tally. The starting point is honesty, it is the biggest drawback,” he said.
He said the Government was putting in efforts to resuscitate irrigation schemes so that farmers start growing maize and the country stops importing from Malawi and Zambia.
Bulawayo grain millers at the business meeting pleaded with VP Mphoko to engage them as millers form Matabeleland region and they told him of some of the challenges they were facing. The Government issued 68 permits for the importation of 140 000 tonnes of maize-meal at an estimated $60 million.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe Chairman Mr Tafadzwa Musarara said they were pleased with the move to improve maize production.
“We share the same vision with the Government with respect to regaining national self-sufficiency in maize production. In fact, the milling industry has been contracting farmers since 2009. This will bring convenience to local millers as they will be able to obtain maize locally and possibly at prices lower than importing,” he said.
Mr Musarara reiterated the need to ban the importation of maize meal and flour so that the local industry can go full throttle and employ more people and increase revenue to the fiscus.
Millers argue that Government if need be, should import grain which local millers can value add instead of importing mealie-meal, a finished product.
The millers, who have also devised an elaborate plan to import grain, said they would not be able to market the mealie-meal they would have produced from the imported grain due to price differences with the imported mealie-meal.
