The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
MILLERS and farmer organisations have said the country is not yet ready to export maize despite the bumper harvest as there is a need to first build on country reserves.
Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) chairman Mr Tafadzwa Musarara told the media in Bulawayo on Thursday that as industry they were not pushing for the export of maize.
“For the most of 2019 to 2020 we had a severe drought and the country had to import maize from as far afield as South America’s Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia, among other countries. With the bumper harvest we are going to get this year and the surplus as well, as an industry we are not pushing for exporting maize as it is too early. This is our bumper harvest after a drought period and international best practice state that a country should move towards a three years cover. This first harvest is a welcome development and most probably after four or five consecutive bumper harvests then we might want to consider exports,” said Mr Musarara.
He said as millers they would require about one million tonnes for commercial milling and to be safe, they needed to have three million tonnes in the grain reserves. Mr Musarara said imports on their own were not sustainable for the country.
“Zimbabwe was now importing maize more than other countries which are at war. For instance, in Syria when the war started it never imported wheat in its first 24 months because it had the requisite and adequate cover. So, as a country with this harvest we should work on stocking enough cover for our people.”
Mr Musarara said the milling industry had been greatly affected by importation of maize and mealie-meal, especially the small to medium enterprises who did not have the capacity to import the products.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union vice-president Mr Winston Babbage shared the same sentiments noting that it was still too early for the country to consider exporting maize.
“As farmers we are pleased with the bumper harvest and thank God for the good rains, we also complement Government on the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme which ensured that every farm or piece of land received enough inputs to crop. This year every household will have adequate mealie-meal on the table. Hence, export of our maize can be considered once our grain reserves have reached optimal requirements but l trust that the bumper harvest received this year will sustain both human and livestock requirements till next season,” said Mr Babbage.
Information released every week by the Zimbabwe’s trade development and promotion agency, ZimTrade on market opportunities for crops, a column hosted by its chief executive Mr Allan Majuru said the demand for agricultural products such as tobacco, cotton, maize, macadamia nuts, sugar beans, sunflower, ginger, garlic, horticultural produce and much more was high both locally and internationally.
Meanwhile, Government has continued efforts to link the farmer with research, extension and agriculture education to improve production processes and yields. A programme conducted by the Government and the European Union (EU), the Zimbabwe Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (ZAKIS) has seen farmers benefit from the convergence of research, good agricultural practices and dissemination of information.
