Zimbabwe: Agro Processors' Meeting Set for Tomorrow

Agro Processors'

Food fortification, Grain Marketing Board commercial activities and fertiliser availability are issues high on the agenda of the agro processors meeting to be held tomorrow.

The meeting comes before the law for mandatory fortification commencement date set for July 1. The agro processors are meeting under the banner of their umbrella body, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe.

The GMAZ members will also discuss issues around the Command Agriculture Winter Wheat programme which is targeting a yield of at least five tonnes per hectare.

The programme is targeting 70 000 hectares and already 881 farmers with hectarage of more than 56 000 hectares have been registered by end of March.

Winter wheat production is expected to surpass 280 000 tonnes boosted by the over 14 000 hectares which private sector players have committed to contract.

On GMB commercial activities, the millers will discuss the rehabilitation of the silos, to which they are investing about $8 million. Apart from investing in the rehabilitation of silos, GMAZ have also committed to off take 800 000 tonnes of grain from the Specialised Maize programme, Command Agriculture.

All members, affiliates and associates of GMAZ, including grain traders, millers and stockbreeders will attend the high level meeting. Several sector stakeholders will interrogate a number of issues bedevilling the industry such as fertiliser issues.

However, heated debate is expected on fortification where GMAZ has been engaging Government seeking for an indefinite suspension of the mandatory food fortification programme.

The millers argue that they would be forced to meet new costs of about $20 million to import equipment and machinery for the fortification of the country's four main food commodities namely sugar, cooking oil, maize meal and flour which are consumed by about 99,9 percent of the population.

They further argue that if Government proceeded to force through the July 1 mandatory fortification commencement date the sector would be forced to fork out no less than $7 million monthly for the importation of fortificants used in the fortification process.