George Kugava (62), a smallholder farmer from Gutu says the cost of machinery to enhance the production and processing of small grains is out of his reach. George says this forces him to continue using traditional processing techniques which leave grit in the end products.
“One of the challenges I face in growing small grains is related to threshing. I do not have proper threshing facilities,” says George. “This is a problem faced by many farmers and causes them to lose potential customers,” he adds.
Smallholder farmers like George continue to miss out on cashing good income from the new health conscious market that is emerging in Zimbabwe.
“Our products are rejected by buyers because they have grit,” says George.
Various stakeholders are working together with government to increase the uptake of small grains in Zimbabwe in line with the government’s objective of climate proofing agriculture and promoting resilient and sustainable agriculture as well as food security.
Dr Claid Mujaju, the Head of the Seed Services Institute says the Government has been promoting the growing of small grains through the Pfumbvudza programme. Moreover, the government is also purchasing small grains through and the Grain Marketing Board which offers better market prices for small grains as compared to maize.
The Pfumvudza programme is a form of Farm Input Subsidies under the government Command Agriculture programme. It is a form of conservation agriculture that uses the concept of digging planting stations and mulching to maximise returns.
However, some stakeholders feel that Government’s efforts to boost production and consumption of small grains are not enough.
Bertha Nherera, the Executive Director of Orsha Wholesome Foods, a private company working to promote production, processing, distribution and consumption of quality traditional cereal grains, vegetables, nuts, fruits, tubers and legumes says Zimbabwean’s food security is under threat. Bertha says the nation continues to depend on food imports and to focus on maize as the staple crop. She says there is need to address challenges related to the production and consumption of small grains.
“The machinery that is available for threshing finger millet is very expensive for farmers and even for private organisations who are into processing. It would be good if there was some investment to reduce costs of machinery,” says Bertha.
A representative of TanRoy Engineering, a local company that specializes in food processing and agriculture machinery revealed that the price of finger millet threshers range from US$1,600 to US$6, 500, a cost that is beyond the reach of many farmers.
“We really need our government to seriously invest in small grains,” says Bertha.
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