GMB Boosts Crop Prices to Support Farmers Amid El Niño Threat
The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has announced incentive producer prices for various crops in Zimbabwe's 2026/27 summer cropping season. The move aims to support farmers as they gear up for production, with harvesting of early-planted wheat already underway.
The GMB has set the following prices: maize and traditional grains at US$432 per tonne, soya bean at US$660.95 per tonne, sunflower at US$826.19 per tonne, and wheat at US$531.93 per tonne. These prices represent significant increases from last year's figures, with sunflower rising by 23%, maize and traditional grains by 18%, and soya bean by 13%.
Farmers have welcomed the move, with the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) secretary general Paul Zakariya saying the prices are 'encouraging' in view of the significant increase in production costs. The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) president Laim Phillip expressed concern over the policy allowing millers to import 60% of their raw materials, saying it would be difficult for commercial farmers to compete with imports from neighboring countries.