(TALKZIMBABWE) Govt to review grain prices

Govt to review grain prices
Ralph Mutema
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:40:00 +0000

THE Zimbabwe government will review grain prices in a bid to encourage farmers to produce more, according to a statement made by President Mugabe on Friday

Addressing the Zanu PF National Consultative Assembly yesterday, President Mugabe acknowledged the hard work farmers, especially new ones are putting in, in order to increase yield in this season.

The president singled out tobacco farmers whom he said were doing a sterling job, but were getting only US$30 dollars per kilogramme.

“We are reviewing the situation to see how these farmers can be compensated to encourage them to perform better,” said President Mugabe who was concerned that some contractors were cheating farmers by deducting huge amounts of money from crop sales.

Contractors would have provided the farmers with inputs such as fertiliser and seed.

President Mugabe urged farmers to start preparing for the 2009-2010 cropping season and said the government will offer the key inputs.

The president said farmers should not only concentrate on cash crops, but must also grow maize and small grains to ensure food security, adding that the Grain Marketing Board would be given another US$500,000 to buy maize.

President Mugabe also discouraged farmers from selling to non-governmental organisations.

Meanwhile the Grain Marketing Board has resumed buying grain from farmers and letting out silos to farmers and private companies wishing to stock grain.
The silos will be open to those farmers, commercial and communal, who can bring their grain at the correct moisture content.

The president also commissioned a state-of-the-art milking parlour at Gushungo Dairy Estates in Mazowe. This is rated the second-best technological set-up on the African continent.

It can milk 64 cows at once, or 251 cows in three hours making it the best technology in the country at the moment. Gushungo Dairy Estates produces 6,500 litres of milk a day.

President Mugabe said his wish was to see once such piece of machinery in each province to cater for people’s needs.