Parliament has summoned Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Prof Mthuli Ncube to come up with a ministerial statement over the delay in payment of wheat farmers
Rising on a matter of national interest Harare North Member of Parliament Hon Allan Norman Markham said it now two months without the payment of the farmers
“We are aware that the Government has yielded and received 255 000 tonnes of wheat. That has been in stock for nearly two months and no wheat farmer I am aware of has been paid anything yet. Wheat farmers are due to receive $200 to $220 per tonne and also ZWL 255.000 but none of this has been paid,”
“There are also rumors that a farmer has to stomach the price as the cost of storage and the marketing of that grain because the Government cannot pay them. The matter is seriously urgent because any farmer who grew winter wheat and cannot fund his crop for this coming summer season in inputs as he does not have payment is affected this summer,” added Hon Markham
Wheat is the country’s second-most important crop after maize in Zimbabwe
Hon Markham went on to highlight the call by various farmers of the need to peg wheat producer prices in USD
“The farmer only has one option which is to go into the market and borrow the money at 200% interest. I have no idea what the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance think in order to solve this situation. We have always stated the need to peg the producer price in US dollars. There is nothing more urgent than now. Could the Minister bring a statement to this House,” he said
Earlier this year Dr. Masuka said that Zimbabwe plans to increase wheat production to 420,000 tonnes next season
“By increasing participation from small-scale farmers, land used for growing wheat increased from 66,000 hectares in 2021 to 75,000 hectares this year and will grow to 100,000 hectares next season,” he said
The wheat harvest in Zimbabwe runs from October to December.
