GMB targets 150 000 tonnes of small grains

24 Aug, 2014 - 06:08 0 Views
GMB targets 150 000 tonnes of small grains

The Sunday Mail

The Grain Marketing Board is targeting to buy 150 000 tonnes of small grains in the 2014/15 farming season as more farmers appreciate the need to grow drought-resistant crops for food security.

This was revealed by the organisation’s deputy general manager (commercial services) Mr Parirenyatwa Mano at the on-going Harare Agricultural Show.

Just 10 000 tonnes were delivered in the 2012/13 farming season, but GMB is optimistic it will meet — or even surpass — its target.

Mr Mano said they were promoting drought- resistant grains in dry ecological regions four and five.

“People have been concentrating on maize production instead of small grains, even in areas not suitable for maize, but there has been serious education passed on to farmers to teach them on crops suitable for their areas and they are forthcoming,” he said.

He said the parastatal was hopeful of meeting the target or even surpass it.

Mr Mano added the GMB was working with seed producers for the supply of adequate small grains seeds in areas where they thrive.

“We know the areas where to grow small grains, the southern parts of the country, and we are going there and supporting the farmers with inputs so that we achieve our target,” he said.

Small grains have been seen as a major boost to food security, as the maize staple continuously comes under attack from climate change, which has intensified the frequency and severity of droughts.

Rising demand for such traditional foods from an increasingly health conscious consumer base is also driving small grains production

He said besides the emphasis on the growing of these small grains, the parastatal was also planning to start milling and selling mealie-meal made from sorghum and rapoko to respond to growing market needs.

Currently, sorghum consumption is mainly on commercial scale for brewers.

“If we grow low-cost grains that are drought resistant, we can achieve food security,” said Mr Mano.

He said GMB had been gradually boosting its sorghum reserves during the past five years whereby it bought a total of 0,274 metric tonnes of the small grains during the 2012/13 agricultural season, significantly higher from the 0,401mt bought in 2009 with only 0,207mt of sorghum having been held in reserves in 2011.

According to the economic blue print Zim Asset (2013-18) agriculture is one of the key pillars expected to spur economic development and meet its objectives by 2018.

Food security at household and national level is one of these objectives.

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