According to the cabinet in Zimbabwe, the country will export 10,000 tonnes of maize to Rwanda and is in discussions to export some of its wheat inventories to its neighbors.
According to the government, the Grain Marketing Board has 204 084 metric tonnes of maize. In a statement released yesterday, the government stated that the corn will be dispersed to regional millers and the export market.
“Millers and stock-feed producers will each receive a quota of 27,000 mt, SILO Foods will receive a monthly quota of 16,000 mt, and an extra 10,000 mt will be sold to Rwanda. Grain will be sufficient for 5.6 months. This demonstrates that Zimbabwe has enough grain to last through the upcoming season, according to the cabinet.
There are 140 029 tonnes of wheat on hand, which is adequate for eight months. Wheat has been planted on 86 466 hectares, 14% more than in the previous year. This is the largest area ever planted for a crop in the nation, and it could provide a harvest greater than the record wheat crop of the previous year.
According to the government, since the nation is self-sufficient in wheat, talks with its neighbors about potential wheat exports are in progress.
However, grain millers remind that Zimbabwe still has to import some wheat since they require the grain from other nations to mix with the local cereal to produce bread with a long shelf life. Tafadzwa Musarara of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe warns that before Zimbabwe can become self-sufficient, it may need a prolonged period of surpluses.
“You are only genuinely self-sufficient after ten years of surplus. Only then would there be sufficient resources to handle unforeseen occurrences like, say, a pandemic or a war in Ukraine, Musarara added.
According to the government, small-scale farmers who have been resettled grow 70% of the nation’s wheat. According to Graeme Murdoch, chairman of the Food Crop Contractors Association (FCCA), a group of commodity dealers and millers, over 76% of the 2023 wheat hectarage will be financed by the private sector.
Zimbabwe intends to export grain, but other nations in the area are limiting exports because they are concerned about shortages. Tanzania, the biggest producer of maize in East Africa, started limiting the export of maize to its neighbors in April. Zambia has stopped exporting goods to the DRC, a significant market for its maize.
Rwanda instituted maize meal price limits in April and fined companies that raised prices.