Grain farmers fall prey to middlemen

DESPERATE farmers selling their grain crops to generate money to feed families are falling prey to unscrupulous grain buyers who are paying about $ 5 400 per tonne of maize and $ 9 000 for soya bean, which are way less than the gazetted prices.

Government pegged the producer price for maize at $ 12 329,72 and $ 17 211,74 for soya bean, with traditional grains at $ 12 865, 79 per tonne.

Farmers in most parts of Mashonaland West Province, including Makonde, Zvimba and Hurungwe districts are losing over half of potential revenue from their crops to some middlemen.

It is understood that the grain buyers are using manipulated scales which result in farmers losing more grain.

Despite paying more, GMB takes up to a month to process payments, a period that farmers say is long especially during this lockdown period when they require some goods to feed families.

Mr Fatty Mapiye Makwara (76) from Mike Village in Nyamakate said they end up selling to the illegal buyers because they would be short of cash, which they use for most transactions in rural and farming communities.

“I am a widower who stays with children and grandchildren and need money to be able to bring something on the table, but their prices are too low.”

A Mhangura farmer, Mr Richard Svetu, said many people demand cash since mobile money and point of sale machines attract a 40 percent additional charge per transaction.

In one of Mhangura farmers’ WhatsApp groups, farmers said selling to illegal buyers was costly as they were losing potential revenue but the attraction was the cash payment offered and no transport costs as the maize is collected from their homesteads.