‘Disband Millers’ association’ says Zimbabwe Farmers Union

The Zimbabwe Farmers Union wants the Competition and Tariffs Commission to disband the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe for “exploitative” and “unfair practices”.

According to the ZFU, private grain traders do not have the interests of the nation at heart.

Responding to reports that the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe wants to challenge the constitutionality of the US$390 per tonne minimum maize and sorghum producer price set by Government, Mr Berean Mukwende, the ZFU second vice president, accused grain traders of exploiting farmers and holding Zimbabwe at ransom.

“In the past, grain traders had formed a cartel that exploited farmers by charging ridiculously low prices.

“A few misguided elements within the association have been going around intimidating traders to suspend grain-trading operations. This is unacceptable,” fumed Mr Mukwende. He said farmers must be allowed to negotiate prices as opposed to traders and middlemen determining them.

Commenting on the decision by traders to suspend grain purchases, Mr Mukwende said it was the traders, and not the farmers, that would suffer.

“I advise the traders to go out there and buy maize before it is too late.

“Remember the Grain Marketing Board is also buying maize and the millers risk buying the maize from the GMB at an even higher price,” Mr Mukwende said.

ZFU estimates that its members have so far delivered more than 60 000 tonnes of maize to GMB.

Mr Mukwende also accused white former commercial farmers who lost out during fast-track land reforms of seeking to discredit the programme by flooding the local market with maize imports from Zambia.

“Food is a national security issue. As a nation, we cannot rely on maize imports.

“It is not true to say that maize imports are cheap.

“Some of the countries deliberately devalue their currencies and it will appear as if we would have acquired the maize cheaply when in actual fact the opposite will be true,” added Mr Mukwende.

Mr Tawanda Musarara, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chair, said all they wanted was sustainability.

“We are fully behind the Government initiative. However, we feel that the new regulations must be fair, balanced and sustainable. As stakeholders, we should have been consulted before the instrument was gazetted,” Mr Musarara said.

Mr Musarara estimates that as a result of the new regulations, the price of maize will go by between 30 and 35 percent.