Bits and pieces of the weekly farm news that's fit to use from Agro-Watch, vol. 44 and the Friday Brief. As usual, my additions in red:
Agro-Watch
Highlights [maize]
- Malawi’s grain marketing agency, ADMARC, adjusted their maize selling prices end of October from 3,000 Malawian Kwacha to K4, 000 per 50Kg bag (approx.US$7.19/50kg bag or Zambian Kwacha 93.5/bag). Maize prices have been rising on the Malawian market due to sporadic supplies with other private traders quoted to be selling for as high as K8, 000/ 50kg bag (≈US$14.38/50kg bag or ZMW187 per 50kg bag).
- With the close of the FRA maize purchase season on 31st October 2015, Zambia’s food reserve agency purchased a total of 596,081MT during the 2015/16 marketing season. Original target was 500,000MT, but their overruns were far less than last year's spectacular 400,000MT purchase ... I suspect the deepening currency crisis and the govt.'s lack of money have as much to do with this as the smaller amounts available on the market. Pressure has continued to mount from the Millers for government to release maize on the local market at subsidized prices to lower [mealie-meal] prices . They are pressured by Zambia's very substantial urban population (and consequently, the Government ... everyone remembers that Kaunda's downfall was hastened by unavailability of food). So many Zambians purchase mealie-meal, it gets a bit worrisome. The initial indication that maize would be offloaded at K85/50kg bag has been put on ice as government reviews the matter further.
- Indicative local offer prices were averaging ZMW1.6/Kg with the highest offer pegged at ZMW2.3/kg on the ZNFU market price information system.
- Maize mealie-meal 25kg in Mayukwayukwa is selling at K130~140; 10kg is K50~55.
Friday Brief
CENTRAL REGION
METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT CAUTIONS FARMERS
Meteorological Department in central province has urged farmers to approach this season with caution as
weather forecasts are showing normal to below normal rains. Felix Imbwae who is
the Provincial Meteorological officer for
Central Province said this when ZNFU officers
visited him at his office. He further said
that farmers should consider planting drought resistant varieties and early to
medium maturing ones. And Mr. Imbwae has urged
farmers to go for conservation farming practices as they remain the best option
in times of less rainfall. I wonder which practices; I've realized recently that almost everyone sees (literally) CA as planting basins. Soil cover is an afterthought, and crop rotation an outright puzzle.
HEAVY DOWNPOUR SENDS FARMERS IN PANIC MOOD
Heavy rains that characterized most parts of central province have sent
farmers mostly small scale into serious panic. The
start of the rain season has found most farmers unprepared due to challenging
circumstances. Funny, it starts pretty much the same time every year. How did this catch farmers unawares? Some farmers have indicated that they expect a challenging
farming season due to high inputs prices and delayed FRA payments. Which of course, you can't do without ... right? Meanwhile, some
farmers have complained that tractor owners have also taken advantage of the
prevailing situation and adjusted prices for Land Tillage upwards. Last year most
farmers in the province were charged between k300 to k400 for land tillage per hectare but now it’s between
K500 to K650. Ah, the "Dollah" strikes again. Price of everything has climbed, sort of like a run on the bank. Everyone complains when the kwacha (and prices) rises in response to the dollar as they have the same amount of kwacha, albeit it is worth much less.
EASTERN REGION
PETAUKE FARMERS BEMOAN HIGH FERTILIZER PRICES
Farmers in Petauke
District have lamented the rapid escalation in fertilizer prices and have since
asked the government to intervene in the matter. Not so much the independent yeoman farmers of the Jefferson ideal. Farmers have described the
situation as a hindrance to the growth of agriculture sector in the country,
adding that if the situation is left unchecked then many rural households will
languish in poverty because many of them depend on farming. Again, is there no way to do it without fertilizer? Fertilizer prices
have increased by over 100% from last year’s prices. A bit of a stretch, but yes, it has gone up at least 50%. A check by ZNFU in the
district found that D Compound was trading at k 420.00 while Urea at K 375.00. I'm surprised it's not worse ... in the West, these are more like K450 and K400.
KATETE RECEIVES HEAVY RAINS
Katete district this
week on 3rd of November 2015 received heavy rains. The rains which
lasted for over 3 hours covered the entire district and this caused panic among
farmers especially those that have not yet received their payment from the Food
Reserve Agency where they supplied their maize. Not much structural agency assigned to farmers, but you see them stuck in the same ruts all the time. Always grow maize. Always sell maize to FRA. Always delayed wait for FRA to pay. Further delays waiting for FISP to arrive. Repeat annually for 8 years. Similarly Nyimba and Petauke
districts also received some measured quantities of rains in most parts.
NORTHERN REGION
FARMERS
ANXIOUSLY AWAIT FISP DISTRIBUTION COMMENCEMENT
With the onset of
rains, farmers in Mungwi are beginning get worried over the delay in the distribution
of FISP inputs to various camps. The chairperson of Mungwi DFA, David Ng’andu
has said that the delay in the distribution will negatively affect farming this
season. And the DFA chairperson has expressed sadness (my heart does not go out to the better-off farmers who won't get subsidized inputs intended for the poor to whom my heart does go) at the
reduced fertilizer allocation to the district at a time when the number of
potential beneficiaries is increasing. [The] Government in Zambia is perceived by rural folks as a big yawning pocket full of money, largely because of its poor transparency in terms of how money is spent, and historically, Zambia's full-court press of socialism during the one-party state days.
So far only Urea
fertilizers have been delivered while D compound and seed have not yet been
delivered to the district. That's helpful, they need Urea (top-dressing) around Christmas, but the seed and D needs to be around by two weeks ago. Again ... same thing every year.
LUAPULA REGION
FARMERS BEMOAN DELAYED FRA PAYMENTS
Farmers in Mansa district have expressed disappointment over the delayed
payments for the maize they supplied to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
The farmers have complained that the Agency had not adhered to the
stipulated marketing modalities of paying them within two weeks after delivery
of the commodity. Please tell me you notice the same theme I've noticed for over 8 years, and understand why I bemoan and am saddened by the state of farming in Zambia.
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