Story by Tendai Munengwa
Government has launched a multi-million-dollar buffer payment fund that will be ring-fenced to ensure timeous payment for grain deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board.
The buffer payment fund has already been put into motion with over $250 000 mobilised to pay wheat farmers this marketing season.
Launching the fund in Harare this Friday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka described the initiative as a lasting solution to eliminate challenges faced in the payment of farmers.
He said, “We have come up with this fund to cushion the farmers who have been waiting for a long time to get their payment after delivering their crops to the GMB. So the money raised from farm levies will all now be directed to this fund. Already, we have US$98 000 raised and six million ZIG which in total converted will amount to US$253 000 and from now, GMB will release it to farmers.” The other source is over from land given to AFC expected to contribute US$250 million from stands, reveals Dr Anxious Masuka.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe and Mozambique have signed a strategic action plan for sustainable management of Buzi, Pungwe and Save Trans-Boundary River Basins.
Interim Executive Secretary for the Buzi, Pungwe and Save Water Commission Mr Elisha Madamombe said, “In terms of SADC protocol, if the two countries share rivers like in the Buzi, Pungwe and Save which flows from Zimbabwe to Mozambique the law stipulates that to avoid risk, the two countries should have an agreement to manage to rivers and the waters resource.”
“We have signed this agreement to enable the two countries to share strategies on how best to monitor and manage our transboundary basins, it could be floods awareness we can be able to manage that together,” Dr Masuka noted.
Government dismissed reports in some sections of the media that Zimbabwe missed the wheat target this season.
Minister Masuka commended farmers for producing 563 000 metric tonnes of wheat which he described as another historic record, surpassing the country’s national requirement of 450 000 metric tonnes.
