eBusiness Weekly
HARARE – Cabinet on Tuesday announced a wheat producer price of $630 per tonne, up from $500 last season, a move aimed at encouraging more production of the crop, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
Addressing the post Cabinet media briefing, Mutsvangwa said the approved wheat producer price takes into consideration the need to boost production, thereby improving food security.
“Following a presentation by Minister of Finance and Economic Development, as chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Industrial and Economic Development, Cabinet approved a wheat producer selling price of $630 per metric tonne for the 2018/2019 agricultural marketing season Mutsvangwa said Cabinet also agreed on several measures to boost local wheat production.
“Cabinet further agreed on measures to boost local wheat production as follows: that grain millers and bakers be facilitated to venture into wheat production for their specific needs; that appropriate schemes be instituted to insure the wheat crop so as to encourage farmers to venture into wheat production and that a programme be undertaken to systematically address the high cost of locally produced fertilisers and other inputs so as to render local products more productive,” he said.
Government through the Grain Marketing Board and millers are the buyers of locally produced wheat.
Shortages of foreign currency have this year resulted in some cases in intermittent wheat supplies that two months ago led to bread shortages.
Zimbabwe consumes up to 40 000 tonnes of wheat per month, of which about 20 000 is used for bread production. – New Ziana
