Zim announces 2022/23 pre-planting grain producer prices

Harare (New Ziana)- The government on Wednesday announced the pre-planting producer prices of maize, traditional grains, soyabean and cotton in a move expected to motivate farmers to plant more crops during the 2022/23 cropping season.

Pre- planting prices are announced every year before the planting season.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka announced the new producer prices while flanked by Finance and Economic Development deputy Minister Clemence Chiduwa.

The new producer price for maize has been pegged at US$335 per metric ton (MT), Soyabean US$597.59/MT while Sunflower is US$687.23/MT.

Traditional grains will sell for USD 335/MT while cotton is USD 0.40/kg for grade D; USD 0.41 for grade C; USD 0.43 for grade B and USD 0.46 for grade A.

“This pronouncement is key to ensuring that farmers receive viable strategic crop producer price. A viable pre-planting producer price will incentivise farmers to commit more land under the strategic crops.

“The marketing and pricing system being proposed is consistent with achieving both food and nutrition security and macro-economic stability,” said Masuka.

Successive droughts have weighed down crop production in recent years, but this is likely to change due to good rains and the introduction of conservation agriculture, popularly known as Pfumvudza/Intwasa.

The government set aside ZWL$77 billion in the 2023 National Budget to provide free seed and fertilisers to communal farmers under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme.

At least three million farmers are expected to get farming inputs free of charge under the scheme.

The introduction of support and competitive prices have seen many farmers returning to grow food crops after having abandoned them for other cash crops such as tobacco, whose marketing was orderly, and prices were profitable.

New Ziana