Members of Parliament have called on the Government to make prompt payments to farmers once they deliver their grain, to ensure they can recover their costs on time and secure inputs for the next farming season.
During a session in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Rushinga MP Tendai Nyabani (ZANU PF) said the delayed payments have led farmers to seek private buyers for their grain, resulting in side marketing. Said Nyabani:
<blockquote>
We urge government to pay farmers as soon as they receive their deliveries.
Government should fund Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development ministry in its different programmes for prosperity.
We have seen that farmers are not putting their all because GMB delays with their payments, which in some instances take two to three years to be processed.
</blockquote>
Shamva South MP Joseph Mapika (ZANU PF) urged the government to establish a quick-response fund to address the various challenges faced by farmers. He added:
<blockquote>
The Ministry of Lands should inform the citizens that most depots do not have grains as we witnessed during the committee tour.
</blockquote>
Mwenezi West MP Priscilla Moyo (ZANU PF) said that it is imperative to empower farmers for the nation’s benefit, urging the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to offer competitive prices for their produce to ensure farmers remain in business.
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Pindula News

Lawmakers want the government to pay farmers quickly for their grain so they can cover their costs and buy supplies for the next season. The delay in payments is causing farmers to sell to private buyers, which is not good. They are asking for a special fund to help farmers with their problems. It's important to support farmers so they can contribute to the country's success. The government should make sure the Grain Marketing Board pays fair prices to keep farmers in business.

Lawmakers Urge GMB To Make Prompt Payments To Farmers

A Hurungwe farmer, Augustine Nyamadzawo (38) from Nkani village, Chief Nematombo, Magunje was arraigned before the Karoi Magistrates’ Court for side-marketing his tobacco harvest.
Nyamadzawo was charged with contravening the Farmers Stop Order Act, that is, “dealing with the whole or part of any crop or any proceeds thereof in such a manner as to avoid or to be likely to avoid the due payment of any prescribed costs, addressee’s fees, registered stop-orders or special stop-orders relating to such crop.”
Allegations were that in July 2023, Nyamadzawo entered into a contractual agreement with Boost Hail and Cotton Private Limited, under the Farming Input Credit Scheme where he undertook to grow tobacco and received the necessary inputs from the complainant
He also agreed to work under the supervision of an agronomist appointed by the complainant.
Upon harvest, Nyamadzawo was contractually bound to sell the entire tobacco crop cultivated using the inputs provided by the complainant, to the complainant, according to the agreed terms.
However, he failed to fulfil his obligation and instead delivered the crop elsewhere. The complainant suffered a prejudice of USD829 and nothing was recovered.
Nyamadzawo was convicted and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment by the Karoi Magistrates’ Court. Four (4) months were suspended on condition of restitution of US$829 by 01 July 2024. In addition, 2 months was suspended on condition he pays a fine of US$150.
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Hurungwe Tobacco Farmer In Court For Side Marketing

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka has called for stiffer penalties for individuals or companies engaged in the side marketing of cotton.
Speaking during the launch of the 2023 cotton marketing season in Mahuwe on Monday, Masuka said side marketing of cotton should be made a criminal offence so that those found guilty do not escape with a fine but are jailed.
Masuka said jailing side marketers will protect one of the country’s foreign currency earners and source of livelihood for many Zimbabweans. He said:
<blockquote>
Last year, seven side marketing breaches were recorded with the culprits being fined over US$10 000.
In terms of deterrent measures, we must go beyond this and make side marketing a criminal offense.
Jail is the only effective way to curb this practice.
My ministry, through the Agricultural Marketing Authority, continues to implement measures to curb side marketing.
These include the Memorandum of Agreement by all contractors for the establishment of cotton buying points, maintenance of good business practices and registers of each contractor at each buying point.
</blockquote>
Side-marketing is when a contracted cotton grower sells his or her crop to a third party in breach of a legally binding contractual agreement that states that contracted cotton shall only be sold to or bought by the licensed contractor who provided inputs to such a grower.
In 2013, side marketing almost collapsed the cotton industry after private merchants stopped financing farmers due to poor debt recovery.
The following year (2014), output plunged to 28 000 tonnes, the lowest in nearly two decades.
The Government intervened by providing farmers with free inputs under the Presidential Free Inputs programme.
<a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/jail-terms-proposed-to-end-cotton-side-marketing/">The Herald</a> reported that almost 350 000 farmers were contracted to grow cotton under the Presidential Inputs Scheme last year.
250 000 hectares were put under cotton and 152 000 tonnes are expected this season.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Side Marketing Of Cotton Should Attract Jail Terms - Minister Masuka

The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) says more deterrent measures are still needed to curb the side-marketing of cotton by farmers.
Speaking to <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/new-ama-in-fight-against-cotton-side-marketing">The Sunday Mail</a>, AMA chief executive officer Clever Isaya said side marketing remains a big threat to the cotton sector.
He said AMA has since signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with cotton contractors to contain the practice through agreed fines and penalties. Said Isaya:
<blockquote>
Cotton is a strategic crop in the country and the second-largest foreign currency earner after tobacco.
Therefore, its value chain has to be protected. We are currently in the process of identifying common buying points which our farmers will use during the marketing season.
AMA clerks will be deployed to these points to monitor the process and ensure that there are no side-marketing activities.
</blockquote>
He said all contractors are required by law to buy from their contracted farmers only.
Side marketing is when growers sell their produce to third parties in breach of contractual agreements that bind producers to sell their yield to the contractor who would have provided inputs to the grower.
There are varied reasons why side marketing of crops is now rife in the market but it mainly stems from lower producer prices set by the government and the contractors.
Cotton is typically harvested between April and July. The process of cotton harvesting involves picking the mature cotton bolls from the plants by hand or machine.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Authorities Seek To Curb Side-marketing Of Cotton

The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has blocked at least 448 farmers from selling tobacco at auction floors on allegations of side marketing their crop, reported <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/timb-blocks-448-tobacco-growers-for-side-marketing/">ZimLive</a>.
Side marketing is when growers sell their produce to third parties in breach of contractual agreements that bind producers to sell their yield to the contractor who would have provided inputs to the grower.
Side marketing also occurs when an individual sells tobacco on behalf of another.
There are varied reasons why side marketing of crops is now rife in the market but it mainly stems from lower producer prices set by the government and the contractors.
The government outlawed side marketing through Statutory Instrument 77 of 2022 in a bid to protect contracting companies from dealers.
In a statement, TIMB said the growers were blocked from selling their produce after noting unusual activity on the tobacco selling system. Reads the statement:
<blockquote>
We have blocked 448 grower numbers on strong suspicion of tobacco-side marketing.
We interrogated the tobacco selling system, according to sales points, looking for irregular activity that strongly indicates the illegal practice and these growers are the alleged offenders.
The blocked grower numbers had sold tobacco five times or more in only 13 days of the 2023 tobacco marketing season.
It is illogical and cost-ineffective to bring 20 bales to market on a Monday; then bring 10 on Wednesday and 15 on Friday the same week only to bring similar amounts of tobacco in the following week.
… We have blocked these growers from making more sales to make sure we only have legitimate tobacco farmers selling.
</blockquote>
The TIMB advised the individuals with blocked grower numbers to approach their offices with their sale sheets to establish whether they are bona fide tobacco growers selling their own produce or not. It added:
<blockquote>
We will also send our technical team for farm visits to verify by physically inspecting the respective farms and if they are legitimate growers, we will unblock their grower numbers.
</blockquote>
At least 49.4 million kilogrammes of tobacco valued at US$148.5 million have so far been sold through the auction and contract systems at an average price of US$3 per kg.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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