Source: Timely payments payoff, as GMB maize intake doubles – herald
Edgar Vhera
Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
Farmers have sold 400,193 tonnes of maize this year – more than double the previous level.
The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) led the charge as its purchases surged 323 percent, driven by farmers’ growing confidence from timely payments.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority’s (AMA) market update dated August 14 showed that maize acquisition by all buyers had risen by 108 percent from 192 020 tonnes in 2025 to 400 193 tonnes this year as the marketing season reached its peak.
GMB’s maize intake rose from 29 814 to 126 058 tonnes, a 323 percent surge, followed by the Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX), which increased 130 percent from 10 437 to 24 026 tonnes.
Other private buyers’ purchases rose 65 percent from 151 769 to 250 109 tonnes.
Farmers who sold their agricultural produce to the GMB this season have acknowledged receipt of both foreign and local currency components timeously and lauded GMB for the development.
The Treasury released US$5 million and ZiG40 million to the GMB last week towards farmer payments for grain delivered during the 2026 marketing season.
GMB chief executive, Dr Edison Badarai, last week said: “Further to the US$5 million received, GMB also got ZiG40 million towards farmer payments. This brings the total cumulative payments to ZiG329 million and US$27 million.
This vital funding underscores Government’s steadfast commitment to agriculture, a key sector driving Zimbabwe’s economy.”
The GMB also settled 100 percent of its previous outstanding farmer payment obligations from the 2024/25 season.
Some farmers affiliated to the Zimbabwe Agricultural Think Tank (ZATT) social grouping concurred that GMB paid them all their dues last week.
One farmer who requested anonymity said he received the first payment through his Nostro account immediately after selling his sorghum and maize this year and got the local currency portion on Thursday last week.
“The GMB has lived up to its promise to pay on time. I received all my outstanding ZiG payments. Morale among farmers who sold their crops to GMB this time is high. We hope they continue on this path and surely agricultural development is assured,” he said.
A GMB revival enthusiast, Mr Joram Matsvimbo, also posted a message on the ZATT platform acknowledging that he had been given his foreign currency component immediately after sale sometime in June and had been waiting for the ZiG portion, which hit his account last week Thursday.
“I am optimistic that the GMB payment issues have been fixed, and rains permitting, the rural story will change very quickly, as farmers want prompt payment more than free inputs.
“Despite the delay in ZiG payments, the GMB story is looking great and what is left is a marketing effort to alert farmers to the development. If this commitment continues, the country’s strategic grain reserves (SGR) will be full in less than three years,” he said.
Government, under National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2) 2026-30, promised to pay farmers on time.
“To support SGR, prompt payments for maize deliveries to GMB will be given priority.
‘‘In this regard, at the onset of NDS 2, the Government will clear all outstanding payments owed to farmers by the GMB and future deliveries under NDS 2 will be paid within one month of delivery,” reads the NDS 2 document.
Under NDS 1, deliveries to GMB indicate that a significant portion of maize output under the Government programme was not being marketed through the board.
This was caused by the challenge of delayed payments by the GMB for delivered produce, forcing farmers to withhold grain, thereby exaggerating domestic shortfalls of maize in the country.
“This situation often creates pressures for grain imports by millers who end up rewarding other countries’ farmers.
“Addressing this challenge is critical to ensuring that the domestic agro-processing value chain draws feedstock from locally produced maize,” the NDS 2 statement says.
COMMENTS