Disquiet over high cost of inputs
LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Farmers have raised disquiet over the high cost of inputs and have pleaded with the government to intervene by subsidising the inputs for the up coming summer cropping season, Business Times can report.
According to Cotton Producers and Marketers Association chairman, Stewart Mubonderi, the government must address the high cost of inputs in order for farmers to take full advantage of the promising good agricultural season.
“Inputs are very expensive in Zimbabwe therefore, we need the Treasury to subsidize the agriculture sector which is a common practice all over the world so that this can assist farmers to enable the farming business viable.Inputs are the major cost drivers in farming hence should be affordable to reduce cost of production,” Mubonderi said.
The Tobacco Farmers Union Trust vice president Edward Dune weighed in saying: “For a long time, we have been lobbying for a Pfumvudza tobacco where we are given inputs just like the farmers who grow cereal crops are doing so that we can solve this issue of inputs skyrocketing. We have been lobbying for it but to no avail. We will continue to say we need these inputs, we need access to facilities that are farmer-friendly.
The contractors are ripping off farmers in terms of inputs prices,we are concerned,” Dune said.
He added: “But in the absence of government intervention, what can we do? The farmers continue to be ripped off, it’s a challenge that we feel the government needs to intervene in.”
The high cost of inputs coincides with the government’s delay in payments, which has thrown farmers’ preparations into disarray as growers are left with no working capital to procure inputs.
Farmers are urging the government to pay all outstanding payments to expedite 2024/2025 season preparations.
They are also encouraging the authorities to pay wheat farmers on delivery to enable them to prepare for the summer season.
“The issue of markets has been a perennial challenge. Our markets like the Grain Marketing Board continue to delay in paying our farmers which is a snag. They pay after three to six months and this has hit the farmers hard in terms of the cash flows.
“Once our farmers deliver produce, we expect them to make a payment on delivery but they delay making a payment for some reason. Even the free markets are not financially strong as expected as they don’t have financial muscle to purchase grain.
We expect our farmers to be capacitated so that they can be able to value add products by themselves so that they sell finished products to get more money.”
Mubonderi concurred.
“We still have some cotton farmers with outstanding payments and that money is needed to help farmers to do the season preparations.Farmers should be paid on time to prepare for the new season,” he said.
