Local media reports that a serious shortage of soybean in Zimbabwe has led to a drop in production in the food processing industry. According to reports, the shortage led to an increase in the price of cooking oil, stock feed and other products. Zimbabwe’s Sunday Mail reports that the development…
The small-scale farmer faces many challenges because he must do everything by hand. But some things are just worth doing and inoculation of soya seed is one of them. LEGUMES HELP THE FARMER Soya, a legume, is a member of the same family as the Acacias, the African botanical iconic…
The youngest son to be born into a farming family in Mazabuka in the Southern Province, Stanford Mweemba (24) is building on the family legacy and taking the farm a level up into the commercial sector. Stanford's two older brothers were not keen on farming and Stanford says his father…
A new hand-held implement makes it possible for small-scale farmers to place phosphate deeper into the soil, where the root system can benefit from it. Michris Janse van Rensburg has designed and made a hand-held implement to add to a line-up of hand-held tools and implements for small-scale farmers. “I…
Mr. Dave Gordon is a commercial farmer and owner of Sable Farms in Zambia’s Chibombo district. He will also be a VIP visitor to the 2017 Agritech Expo at Chisamba from 27 to 29 April. Annemarie Roodbol, a journalist for the organisers, asked him a few questions Please tell us…
As part of major reforms to the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP), farmers who have been on the system for ten years or more, will be removed. Zambian agriculture minister Dora Siliya says the exercise to cut long-standing beneficiaries must ensure the sustainability of the programme. There has however been…
Government has released a further K200million for the 2016/2017 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). According to finance minister Felix Mutati, this brings to K800 million the total amount released to fund this season’s FISP. “The release of the money will keep on track government’s economic diversification through agriculture development,” Mutati…
An approved loan facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to the Meridian group is good news for some small scale farmers in southern Africa. This $20 million facility was procured for the financing of Merdian’s agricultural operations in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. “It will enable the bank to reach…
A South African farmer converted his quadbike into a crop sprayer and saved himself a lot of money. When Mr Morné Erwee, a maize farmer from the farm Tower Hill outside Grahamstown, returned home from holiday in December to the sight of weeds growing rampantly in among his maize, he…
Since he started to practice conservation farming 11 years ago, Mr. Sinoya Phiri of Kafue’s Shimabala region, has gone from a struggling maize farmer to a profitable businessman. He could afford to build a comfortable family home complete with electricity on his 3,5ha farm and he doesn’t struggle to pay school…
Farmer Michris van Rensburg took an old wheat planter, and transformed it completely into a new soybean planter that could plant narrower rows for a higher yield. He also saved thousands by using old implements rather than buying a brand new planter that would've done the same job. Whatsapp…
Zambia is losing regional markets for soya because of delayed issue of export permits and accompanying documents by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Food Security (IMCFS). At a recent meeting of oilseed stakeholders, exporters complained about the length of time it took to process and receive the necessary documents from the…
Julius Shawa, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, said, over the weekend, that a variety of seed types was to be distributed nation-wide, and that government had given the seed companies up to the end of this week to complete the exercise. In his media update on the government’s…
Limited knowledge, lack of access to information, high cost of seed, and lack of seed laws. These factors still limited smallholder farmers’ ability to utilise seed to its full potential in Southern Africa. Several South African Confederation of Farmers Union (SACAU) members attended a work-shop held by SACAU and the…
President Edgar Lungu officially launched the 2016/1017 planting season on Friday afternoon. He called on farmers to vary their crop choice. “I’m urging farmers across the country: Take advantage of the wider choice of crops now available to them under the Farmers’ Input Support Programme (FISP). While you re planting…
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) director of derivatives, Chris Sturgess, said Zambia has the opportunity to become the regional hub for price discovery and price risk management of non-GM crops, with the new Zambian futures contracts. The JSE, the Zambian Commodity Exchange (ZAMACE) and various other role players met last…
Zambia Zambia will maintain a ban on exports of the maize crop as it struggles to build strategic reserves. This comes on the back of increasing prices and strong regional demand. This is an attempt by the country to protect national food security to last until the next harvest. The…
