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Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
DELAYS by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to pay farmers will impact negatively on the 2014/15 farming season as farmers do not have money to buy inputs, farmer organisations have said.The Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union (ZFU) president Abdul Nyathi said their members were struggling to get seed, fertiliser and the necessary machinery to prepare for this cropping season.

“If a farmer delivers maize to the Grain Marketing Board they should be paid within 60 days. However, GMB has failed to meet the set time. For some farmers it’s already 120 days. This situation will inconvenience next year’s production. Farmers are now forced to fork money out of their own pockets, which in all honesty is not much,” he said.

Nyathi said farmers were also struggling to access loans from financial institutions.

“The worst part about this whole situation is that farmers are failing to get loans from banks. Banks are saying they don’t have money to give farmers. GMB has become a major setback, farmers have nowhere else to seek financial aid,” he said.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (ZCFU) president Wonder Chabikwa urged the GMB to speed up the process of paying farmers.

“GMB must take action in paying farmers since most parts of the country have started receiving rains. Some farmers are desperately waiting for payment from GMB to begin farming,” he said.

ZCFU Binga District chairperson Trevor Nyathi also said GMB’s failure to pay farmers on time was opening the way for unscrupulous maize dealers.

“Farmers who delivered their maize in August haven’t yet received their payments. This has led to the spiralling of dubious maize buyers who are buying maize at rip-off prices,” he said.

Comment could not be obtained from GMB corporate communications manager Muriel Zemura as she was said to be in a meeting.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for crop production Davies Marapira said he could not answer questions from this paper as he was on holiday.

“I can’t answer your questions as I’m on holiday. Please call Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister (Dr Joseph Made).

Efforts to get a comment from Minister Made were futile as his mobile phone went unanswered.

Presenting the 2015 national budget last month, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa said as at November 13, 2014, a total of $57, 6 million had been paid to farmers for grain deliveries, $22 million for handling and storage charges, while $2 million was for grain importation charges from last year.