*📰Government Warns Farmers on Dealers . . . GMB Expands Grain Collection Points to Combat ‘Giveaways’* Follow Our Channel✅ https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VajOQ9lFXUue5OOd4s1L Group Link⛓️‍💥 https://chat.whatsapp.com/LZitWjdBLOOFUrxkAmUPDw The Government has issued a strong warning to farmers against selling their grain to unscrupulous private buyers offering instant but unviable cash deals. Reports suggest that desperate farmers — especially those with small harvests — are being exploited by buyers offering ‘giveaway’ prices. Many of these farmers are unable to transport their maize to distant Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots and end up selling at a loss. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka, urged farmers to verify prices before parting with their crops. > “GMB has gazetted the price for maize, millet, sorghum, and other small grains at US$376 per tonne, with 70% paid in US dollars and 30% in local currency. We urge farmers to check prices before selling to ensure they benefit from their hard work.” He warned that in areas like Mashonaland West, some buyers were offering as low as US$300 per tonne. > “We’ve advised farmers to avoid selling to these unscrupulous buyers. Wait for GMB to announce designated depots.” To make deliveries easier, Minister Masuka revealed that GMB is expanding its grain collection points, especially in areas where there are no permanent depots. > “We will use points previously used for distributing social welfare food and presidential inputs in each ward. These will now serve as mobile collection centres. GMB teams can schedule dates with communities for collection instead of setting up permanent depots.” On who is eligible to sell to GMB, the Minister clarified: > “Self-financed farmers can sell to any buyer. But those under contract — through schemes like the Presidential Inputs Scheme, CBZ, AFC, Arda, or private contractors — must honour their agreements. Government policy is clear: whoever financed the farmer should be prioritised.” However, even self-financed farmers are encouraged to consider GMB as a reliable buyer if better offers aren’t available. He also gave an update on payments: > “We’ve reached an agreement with the Ministry of Finance. Last year’s payments in US dollars have been cleared, with only a few local currency payments remaining. This year, we expect to pay farmers timeously.” Zimbabwe is expecting 2,293,556 tonnes of maize and 634 tonnes of traditional grains from the 2024/25 summer cropping season.