EDITORIAL COMMENT: Let’s ensure all maize is delivered to GMB before onset of rains

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More than one million tonnnes of maize have so far been delivered to the Grain Marketing Board much to the chagrin of the prophets of doom who were claiming that Government was inflating figures of the expected harvest.

The bulk of the maize so far delivered is from farmers contracted under the Command Agriculture and other commercial farmers. Most small-scale, resettled and communal farmers are yet to deliver their produce. Government said the country is expecting to harvest four million tonnes of grain which is more than its annual consumption.

The Command Agriculture Programme in just one season has enabled the country to regain its food security. Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made who said Government was committed to ensuring that all the maize and other crops are delivered to the GMB before the onset of the rains, has directed the GMB to activate satellite collection points to mop up all the grain.

Dr Made said collection points will speed up collection of the remaining grain which must be at the GMB depots before the onset of the rains. He said the collection points should be as near the farmers as possible and it is the responsibility of the GMB to move the maize from these collection points to its depots.

The Minister said the GMB has also been directed to work round the clock to facilitate speedy payments of farmers. Many small-scale, resettlement and communal farmers have now harvested their maize and are awaiting transport to deliver it to the GMB. It seems there is a general shortage of transport to deliver the maize either to collection points or GMB depots.

There are now fears that the rains could start while some of the maize is still by the roadside due to transport shortages. Many years ago when the country realised a similar bumper harvest, Government was forced to mobilise vehicles from all its departments including the army to ferry the maize to GMB depots and indications are that it might be forced to resort to the same approach this year.

All the maize should have been moved by the end of October as rains are expected mid-November or earlier. It is therefore important for Government to constantly monitor the situation to avoid intervening when it is too late. We cannot afford to compromise the quality of our maize so it is important to ensure that all the maize is delivered before the onset of the rains.

The GMB apart from receiving maize deliveries, is also receiving inputs for the forthcoming cropping season. According to Dr Made, Government has already started dispatching inputs to GMB depots across the country so farmers are this coming season guaranteed early inputs deliveries.

We want to once again implore the Government, GMB and farmers to work closely to ensure all the crops that are supposed to be delivered to the GMB reach the depots or collection points before the onset of the rains.

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