LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Zimbabwe’s wheat deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots across the country soared 160% to 157,000 metric tonnes in 2020 from 60,359 metric tonnes delivered in prior year due to improved power supply.
The improved wheat output is expected to save Zimbabwe more than US$50m that could be used to import the cereal.
GMB chief executive officer, Rockie Mutenha, who told Business Times that farmers have all been paid for the wheat delivered.
Farmers delivered over 157,000 metric tonnes of wheat to the national granary compared to 60,641 tonnes that was delivered same period in 2019. About 69% of the wheat achieved a premium grade while the rest fell into utility grade,” Mutenha said.
A technical committee, the National Wheat Contract Farming Committee, which was formed three years ago, has been spearheading wheat contract farming in the country over the last few years. The committee is working with the government through public private partnerships as part of efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in the wheat sector.
It is expected that there will be some improvement in wheat production this year.
Local wheat is mainly used for self-raising flour and biscuits due to climatic conditions which cannot allow the local wheat to reach certain standards required for bread baking.
Bakers need flour manufactured from very cold conditions and the local conditions do not allow that, meaning local bakers import wheat from Eastern Europe to blend with local flour to produce quality bread.
Zimbabwe’s cereal demand has increased to 400,000 from 350,000 in 2015 due to change of lifestyles and increased food stuffs production. r
