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Wheat farmers downsize
Pamenus Tuso, The Zimbabwean
April 24, 2013

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/business/agriculture/65232/wheat-farmers-downsize.html

An Agritex provincial agronomist, Davison Masendeke, told The Zimbabwean last week that farmers in the province were facing challenges such as delayed payment by the Grain Marketing Board, water shortages and power cuts.

“A lot of farmers are owed money by the GMB for wheat delivered two years ago. The farmers do not have money to buy inputs or pay for electricity,” said Masendeke.

The agronomist said since the introduction of pre-paid meters by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, farmers had been trying to be economical with their electricity. He said most farmers would not be able to meet the May 7 to 15 wheat planting deadline due to the challenges.

The immediate past president of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union, Donald Khumalo, who is also a wheat farmer, told The Zimbabwean that only a few farmers had been able to plant the winter crop.

“The farming situation in the country is untenable. As a nation we will be forced to import the deficit at a higher cost,” said Khumalo.

Khumalo said most traditional wheat farmers had been forced to either reduce the area of wheat planted or abandon the crop. He said instead of importing wheat, the government should provide adequate funding for the crop.

“Our view is that the government is empowering foreign farmers at the expense of locals. The government should adequately resource our local farmers so that they produce more,” he said.

Wheat in Matabeleland North is mainly planted in Umguza, Binga, Lupane and Bubi districts. Zimbabwe requires about 450,000 tonnes of wheat a year.

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