IT was sweet victory for Charity Benhura, a Goromonzi small-holder farmer, when, after following the extension officer’s advice to maximise on yields produced 14 tonnes of maize from one-and-half hectares last year.
This was her highest yield in the four years she had become a full-time farmer.
Knowing that her duty as a farmer is to contribute to the country’s food security, she delivered 12 tonnes to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Eager to do bigger and better things in the 2014/2015 cropping season, Benhura went back to the drawing board.
However, all her planning was in vain as by the time the cropping season commenced, she was yet to receive her money from GMB. When the rains came, all she had was a plan on paper and no funds to purchase inputs or hire labour.
With no option and dampened spirits, Benhura was forced to reduce her hectarage and venture into other crops.
The sad case of Benhura is not only peculiar to her, but the same with other farmers who delivered grain to GMB and are still awaiting payment.
The parastatal owes US$52,4 million to farmers for the grain delivered to its depots.
Farmers delivered 255 519 tonnes of maize to GMB depots valued at US$101,8 million by December 19.
Government has disbursed US$57,6 million to GMB for payment to farmers for the grain delivered including US$8,2 million for grain delivered during the previous season.
“The failure by GMB to pay me negatively affected the plans I had for the 2014/2015 cropping season,” said Benhura.
“I had hoped to increase hectarage this season and produce other crops as well, but this was not possible.”
For one to achieve optimum maize yields in high yield potential areas, one requires between US$700 and US$1 300, in medium yield potential areas between US$500 to US$700 is required.
In low potential yield areas US$300 to US$500 is required.
For Benhura who is owed nearly US$4 700 by the GMB which was buying a tonne of maize for US$390, had she managed to get her money in one can only imagine how much she could have done with it.
This season, Benhura has one hectare of maize and one hectare of beans and groundnuts.
“I had to borrow money so that I could finance the operations at the farm,” she said.
“The failure by the GMB to pay us will result in us failing to go back to the fields and when people see the land lying idle, they label us failures yet this is not the truth.
“Small grains seem to have a better market that is why I opted to grow them rather than increasing the maize hectarage.”
During the last marketing season, small grain farmers had a fairly good year as prices offered on the market were lucrative.
A tonne of soya beans was fetching between US$450 and US$500, sugar beans going for at least US$1 000 per tonne and groundnuts US$900 per tonne With farmers still bitter with the GMB, some like Benhura remain hopeful that they will be paid and continue to grow the staple grain, but others have abandoned the crop.
Shamva A1 farmer, Tendai Makamba who was disappointed by the GMB for the second year running was enticed by the lustre of tobacco production and has switched to producing the golden leaf.
“In 2013 I was not paid for the grain I delivered and last year again I was not paid so this year I decided to grow more tobacco,” said Makamba.
“Last year I only had one hectare of tobacco and the quality was good with the highest price I got on the market being US$5,20 per kilogramme.
“This motivated me to put three hectares this season under tobacco and half a hectare under maize.”
The prevailing scenario where the farmers have lost faith in the GMB for its failure to pay them has resulted in private buyers taking advantage of the farmers. Last season, Government had to intervene by gazetting Statutory Instrument (SI) 122 of 2014 indicating that minimum mandatory producer price for maize was US$390 per tonne.
Private buyers were buying a tonne of maize for as low as US$180.
Romeo Damba a Goromonzi farmer said he was considering selling most of his produce to private buyers.
“Last season my maize crop fared well as I got nine tonnes from one hectare hence this season I increased to three hectares however most of it I will sell to private buyers,” he said.
If the farmers continue to shun the GMB or abandon maize production should they be blamed? Pundits contend there is urgent need to resuscitate the parastatal.