Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Government on Friday announced producer prices for strategic crops such as maize, traditional grains, soya bean, and sunflower.
The Grain Market Board (GMB) will only purchase strategic commodities financed under the Presidential Input Programme as well as by self-financed farmers.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Anxious Masuka, at a media briefing in Harare.
GMB will pay a floor producer price of US$335 per metric tonne for maize and traditional grains.
For soya beans and sunflowers, GMB will pay US$580 and US$696, per tonne respectively.
The prices will be partly paid in foreign currency and the remainder in Zimbabwe dollars at the prevailing interbank rate.
The Government has also set a pre-planting producer price of US$520 per metric tonne of wheat. Said Masuka:
A floor producer price of US$335 per metric tonne of maize and traditional grains is paid to farmers by GMB as US$200 in foreign currency plus US$135 in local currency.
US$580 per metric tonne for soya beans paid as US$348 in foreign currency and US$232 in local at the interbank rate.
The Government has also liberalised the marketing of grain with all contractors allowed to buy back contracted crops.
Self-financed farmers will also sell their produce in the market or to the Grain Marketing Board.
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