Zimbabwe will be planting more and aims to step up purchases of maize
Zimbabwe has set aside $62m to buy maize from farmers with planting of the grain 55% higher than last year’s, and will seek funds for extra purchases, says Agriculture Minister Joseph Made. The state-run Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) was told to raise $80m to fund further purchases of Zimbabwe’s staple food, Made has told MPs. He did not say how the money would be raised. Zimbabwe, a net importer of maize, produced 1.3- million metric tonnes of the grain last year, compared with its 2.2 million-tonne annual requirements, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The government has sought to boost output after the country suffered food shortages last year with the worst drought in at least two decades. State agencies including the AMA and the Grain Marketing Board have instructions to pay farmers $390 a ton for maize, as the government strives for higher output, Made said. At $390 a tonne, the $62m would buy 158,974 tonnes. Zimbabwe’s farmers increased maize planting to 1.2-...
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