To encourage domestic production and guarantee national food security, the Zimbabwean Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has kept the 2025 winter wheat producer price at US$450 per tonne (T).

With no change from the previous year, the price aligns with import parity and offers farmers a healthy return on their investment for the next cropping seasons.

This action comes as Zimbabwe sets a record goal of cultivating 120,000 hectares of winter wheat in 2025 and producing 600,000 tonnes, much more than the country’s yearly demand of 360,000 tonnes. 

In 2024, the country planted 119,954 hectares of wheat, harvesting 562,591 tonnes and 6,697 hectares of barley, yielding 36,120 tonnes. These achievements were part of the broader Wheat-Based Food Security Initiative, designed to curb wheat imports and stabilise domestic food supplies.

The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) confirmed it will continue purchasing wheat at a fixed rate under the Presidential Input Programme (PIP). From self-financed growers, the latter group can market their produce freely.

The GMB will also serve as the buyer of last resort and partner with the Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX) to offer warehouse receipt services, a move expected to bolster storage capacity and improve price transparency.

Farmers’ groups, including the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU), have welcomed the producer price announcement.

ZCFU president Dr Shadreck Makombe noted that the price is “competitive” and conducive for long-term planning but stressed the importance of timely government payments.

“If input prices remain stable, the GMB rate is good. However, we urge prompt payments to ensure farmers can prepare for the next season without delays,” he said.

Acting chief director of the Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS), Leonard Munamati, stated that the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme (NEAPS), self-financing models, private contractors, and the Presidential Wheat Support Scheme will all provide comprehensive assistance for the forthcoming wheat season.

According to experts, Zimbabwe’s goal of becoming wheat self-sufficient and lowering its reliance on imports, which have historically burdened the nation’s foreign reserves—requires maintaining a lucrative producer price.

Source: Milling Middle East and Africa

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