Author: agric-t

By Almot MaqoloHARARE – Farms, ranches and other businesses that raise or house livestock may lose money if the animals are injured or die due to accidents or disease. However, they can protect themselves against the loss of valuable animals by purchasing livestock insurance. Livestock insurance provides several important benefits to protect your animals and your investment. With more farmers with the knowledge of entrepreneurship, it is hoped that insurance could be implemented for all livestock commodities and for farmers with working risks. Whilst cattle farmers spend a lot of their hard-earned money on the purchase and management of cattle. Financial institutions Stanbic…

By Almot Maqolo HARARE -Many agricultural vehicle makers are going electric because the charging capability, affordability and other factors are rapidly falling into place just as they are for road vehicles. But, the popularity of electric vehicles is not limited to roads or driveways only as there has been a sharp increase in the demand for electric vehicles in various industries. The advent of electric vehicles has been reshaping the farming industry. As electric vehicles are becoming more accessible to farmers around the world, farmers are making the most of the new resources available to them. Farmers can significantly reduce…

By Almot MaqoloHARARE – There is no doubt that women comprise a large chunk of the agricultural labor force globally and in developing countries. Women, on the other hand, are critical to rural economies.Agriculture is Zimbabwe's economic backbone and will remain so for the foreseeable future.Due to a shortage of financing, rural women are unable to reach their full potential in agriculture. TheZimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank may be able to provide the necessary loans, albeit women's lackof collateral will need to be addressed.Even when women supply agribusinesses and cooperatives as primary farmers – usually because theyinherited a field or engage in…

By Almot Maqolo Tobacco production is a key economic activity for small scale farmers. Establishing a futures market with the premise of improving funding and pricing transparency is somewhat “dubious”. At the core of it, the small-scale tobacco producers are reliant on contract schemes because they cannot finance themselves. Ideally these schemes should reduce price risk for the producers and improve access to finance, but the reliance also creates an unfavorable dynamic for them. In some cases, the predatory contract schemes lead to small margins and in worse cases they trap the farmers in debt. In March 2021, the Zimbabwe Stock…

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s tobacco production is estimated to take a dip because of the low rainfall experienced throughout the country. However government estimates are below industry projections that national tobacco volumes will be 10-15% below the 2020/2021 season. Tobacco production is a key economic activity for small scale farmers. The crop is mainly produced through the contract system where buyers provide the farmers with the inputs for tobacco farming. Apart from the fact that tobacco was grown under difficult weather characterised by delayed rains, fertilizer shortages had an adverse impact on the farming season. On the other hand, late onset…

While most of your TLB encounters have probably been along the road or at construction sites, the TLB can be beneficial in all sorts of industries, including the farming sector. It’s true that the TLB machine truly excels when used to build roads and commercial properties, this is a machine that is capable of so much more. A TLB is an abbreviated term for tractor loader backhoe. Generally considered to be one of the smaller types of plant hire equipment on the market, the TLB is one of the most common machines used in the various building industries. The machine…

By Almot MaqoloHARARE – The country has approximately 10 000 dams of varying sizes. In the past, it has beenon a drive to construct new dams in order to improve water supply and agricultural activities.Zimbabwe has the potential to harness 47.3 billion cubic meters and only 10.5 billion cubic meters (22%) has been developed yet the country continues to experience water shortages forurban, industrial and agricultural use.In 2019, the government mentioned that it was in the process of increasing the land underirrigation by 29% from the current 170 000 hectares to 220 000 hectares over the years so as to…

By Almot Maqolo HARARE – Zimbabwe’s raw milk production in the first 3 months to March rose 20% to 21.45 million litres compared to 17.83 million litres reported in the same period last year backed by availability of grazing pastures, official data shows. Milk supply remains constrained by the high cost of stock feeds. However, the government launched command silage, a welcome initiative intended to support dairy farmers grow their own silage in order to improve stock feed availability and reduce cost of milk production. This is poised to further improve milk production. Dairy farmers produced 79.6 million litres in 2021, representing a 4% increase…

By Almot Maqolo HARARE – The Southern African Development Community was hit by a series of five tropical storms and cyclones, affecting Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Slow onset of the rainfall season as well as fertilizer shortages had an adverse impact on Zimbabwe's farming season. Following a period of extended dryness in February, most crops suffered significant moisture stress and near complete write-offs, likely for some households in worst-affected areas. This prompted the government to lift the maize and wheat import bans and is allowing the milling industry and stock feed manufacturers to import grain. Surprisingly the late heavy rains have caught…

By Almot Maqolo HARARE – As Zimbabwe’s economy is based on agriculture, the decreased agricultural production is expected to negatively affect industry and other sectors. Conversely, inflation is forcing farmers to ignore a government directive that compels them to sell their produce to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) within two weeks after harvest saying the price offered is “too little”. Zimbabwe’s annual consumer price inflation climbed to 96.4% in April 2022 from 72.7% in March which has eroded incomes. Monthly inflation rises sharply to 15.5% from 6.3% in March. Analysts say main upward pressure came from transportation and food, as…