‘Zim has enough fertilisers’
Thursday, 07 April 2011 20:49
Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe has enough stocks of fertilisers for the winter wheat season and producers have called on Government to clarify funding mechanisms to ensure farmers access inputs in time.
The managing director of the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company, Mr Richard Dafana, made these remarks yesterday during a tour of Zimbabwe Phosphate Industries' plant in Harare by the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Water Lands and Resettlement.
"In discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, the projection is that they (farmers) will do 45 000 hectares of wheat and barley and as an industry we have stocks of fertiliser to do more than that," he said.
Mr Dafana said his company had 12 000 tonnes of compound and 8 000 tonnes of top-dressing fertilisers. He said they expected to produce a further 16 000 tonnes of compound and 10 000 tonnes of top-dressing fertilisers by the end of May. Another manufacturer, Windmill, also has similar amounts in stock.
"The problem now is that the financing mechanisms for farmers are not there. While Government says they will go into the market nothing has been done yet and we do not want to do the last minute rush.
"The Ministry of Agriculture said there would be US$10 million but the disbursement modalities are not clear yet. We would want all the inputs to be at the door of the farmer by the beginning of May," he said. Mr Dafana said they were already looking at plans for the summer cropping season. Mr Misheck Kachere, the chief executive of Chemplex - the holding company of Zimphos, ZFC and Sable Chemicals - said he had been assured that there was enough fertiliser.
He said it was imperative that schemes like the one introduced by President Mugabe - Well-Wisher's Inputs initiative - be introduced to assist farmers.
Mr Kachere said Government should ensure farmers are paid fairly for their produce as this had an effect on demand for agricultural inputs.
He said they were currently operating at 35 percent of capacity but hoped to increase to 60 percent by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the General Laws Amendment Bill sailed through the House of Assembly yesterday.
Labels: FERTILIZER, ZIMBABWE PHOSPHORUS INDUSTRIES
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Chemicals shock for Harare
Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council is buying poor quality aluminum sulphate, a key water treatment chemical from Zimbabwe Phosphate Industries, town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi has revealed.
Even after noticing the glaring quality shortcomings, the city continues to pump its meagre resources into Zimphos despite the availability of cheaper and better quality chemicals in South Africa. Efforts to get comment from Zimphos were unsuccessful at the time of going to press.
Council claimed that the poor quality chemical was causing frequent disludging, sand filter carryover and pump breakdowns.
Apart from consuming more electricity, the poor quality chemical affects drinking water quality.
Dr Mahachi made the revelations before the Cabinet Taskforce on Cholera last week during a routine meeting to assess the city’s preparedness in dealing with cholera should it occur.
"The quality of the aluminum sulphate we are buying from Zimphos keeps going up and down like a yoyo," he said.
He said the city had tried to buy directly from South Africa, but was blocked by middlemen with contracts with the suppliers.
The availability of clean water is a prerequisite in the fight against cholera.
Dr Mahachi said the city was forced to pay four times the price of chlorine gas supplied by a company called A.I. Davies suggesting that if council could buy directly, the cost would be reduced four-fold.
However, some suppliers interviewed said council did not have the funds to buy the chemicals directly from South Africa hence their involvement.
"The suppliers are not extending credit lines to councils yet. We have the funds, so we buy and resell. It is better to have the chemicals," said one of the suppliers.
An official with Harare Water said the city was failing to buy Algae Kill, one of the critical chemicals required in the treatment of potable water especially during the rainy season when the algae weed grows fast because of cashflow problems.
The war between council and Zimphos over the quality of the aluminum sulphate dates back to June 2004 after council blamed water shortages on sub-standard water treatment chemicals supplied by the company.
The city is inviting suppliers of water treatment chemicals for 2010 and it remains to be seen whether such tenders would not be awarded to companies that supply sub-standard chemicals.
Other suppliers feel the city should look into buying alternatives to aluminum sulphate, especially given the poor quality commodity from Zimphos.
Labels: HARARE CITY COUNCIL, SANCTIONS, ZIMBABWE PHOSPHORUS INDUSTRIES
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