Fertiliser manufacturers have indicated that they have adequate stocks to cater for the winter farming season. Government has targeted to put 45 000 hectares under winter wheat production this season.

The country’s top two fertiliser companies, Windmill and the Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company, confirmed that they had over 70 000 tonnes of both ammonium and compound fertilisers to meet winter wheat farming requirements. Windmill chief executive Mr George Rundogo told New Ziana, the company had 26 000 tonnes of both ammonium nitrate and compound fertilisers in stock.

“We will be producing a further 16 000 tonnes, bringing the total to 42 000 tonnes of the commodity,” he said. He was optimistic the company could supply the required quantity of fertilisers on its own. “The projected hectarage requires 40 000 tonnes, this means we will have a surplus of fertiliser on the market,” Mr Rundogo said.

He said Windmill had managed to increase productivity from 65 percent last year to 80 percent. ZFC managing director Dr Richard Dafana also confirmed the availability of fertiliser. “We have more than enough fertiliser for winter wheat. Our stock levels currently stand at 24 000 tonnes of compound D and 20 000 tones of ammonium nitrate,” Dr Dafana said.

“We can produce up to 40 000 tonnes of compound D and 30 000 ammonium nitrate.” Dr Dafana said owing to increased production, the company was targeting to resume exports soon. Shortage of inputs such as fertiliser has previously beset wheat production.

Government has released US$26,2 million to fund this year’s winter wheat cropping. Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made said US$11 million would go to rehabilitation of smallholder irrigation schemes and US$5,2 million was for buying last season’s fertiliser and seed from the Grain Marketing Board.

“The other US$10 million will go towards mobilising other wheat production related resources,” Minister Made said in Harare yesterday. He said the sector needed an additional US$10m and the Finance Ministry was working on raising this.

“Banks are also mobilising resources for individual farmers and this is not part of this Government funding.

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Harare — More than 6,5 million kilogrammes of tobacco are being delivered to the auction floors every week following an improvement in the supply of hessian bags.

The bags have been in short supply and were being sold at the open market at exorbitant prices. Zimbabwe Industry and Tobacco Auction Centre public relations manager, Ms Kudzayi Hamadziripi, yesterday said deliveries had improved and full sales were being conducted.

A full sale at Zitac comprises 6 400 bales. “There have been restrictions during the past weeks as farmers failed to deliver their crop due to the short supply of the wrapping material.

“On Monday, we registered an increase in deliveries as most farmers were anticipating good prices at the beginning of the week,” she said. Latest information from the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board shows that throughout last week, deliveries almost doubled to 6,5 million kilogrammes from 3,5 million kilogrammes the previous week.

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South African poultry producers are facing shrinking exports after the Zimbabwe government banned all poultry importation from South Africa, according to Supreme Poultry manager Izaak Breitenbach.

The Zimbabwean Poultry Association (ZPA) has alleged that South African and South American poultry were heavily injected with a brine saltwater solution, to levels as high as 40%, the South African newspaper The Star reported on Tuesday. The solution increased bird weight when frozen, but it seeped out before or during cooking, leaving the actual meat content at 60-70% of the original weight, the ZPA said.

The association said it also suffered of unfair competition because South African chickens were fed genetically modified maize ingredients, which compromised the quality of the meat. Zimbabwean farmers are understood to have lobbied their government because they had built up large stockpiles, which they had failed to sell because of competition mainly from South Africa and Brazil.

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ZIMBABWE – Swiss food processing giant, Nestlé has reopend its Harare dairy plant in Zimbabwe.

The plant was closed after concerns for the safety of staff after two managers had been taken in by police for questioning.

According to a report on the BBC, the plant had been forced to accept milk from non-contracted suppliers including a farm, Gushungo Dairy Estate, that is owned by the wife of the Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabwe.

The company had been taking milk from eight non-contracted farms last year as a form of assistance to the dairy industry in teh country during the time of economic crisis.

However, in October last year Nestlé ended the arrangement.

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