By Conrad Mwanawashe
FARMING inputs manufacturer Fertiliser Seed Grain (FSG), has appealed for government support to unlock product under collateralised management agreements which is required for blending with the 40% locally available raw materials in the production of fertilizer.
Sean Durrad, FSG General Manager, said the fertilizer producer was ready for the 2024/25 summer season but more emphasis must be on getting product into the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots and to the farms where it is needed.
“We do have creditors that have allowed us to bring the product into the country, and now we need the support from the local ministries (Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion) to unlock that product so we can deliver it into the programs,” Durrad told the media after a tour of the company’s fertilizer plant in Bindura, Mashonaland Central province, Tuesday.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Professor Obert Jiri, also toured the facility as part of an assessment of stakeholders’ preparedness for the start of the season.
FSG has capacity to blend 1,500 tonnes a day but is currently doing about 900 tonnes per day.
“Our ability to do so really does hinge on support from our friends in the Ministry. We have product on site but a lot of that product is under collateralised management agreements, but we are fully aware that following the drought, there’s huge emphasis on needing to get product into the GMB depots and to the farms where it is needed so that our food security is secured in the long term.
“We stand ready as FSG to support in that food security drive, and we truly hope that we’ll be partners with the government for the long term,” said Durrad.
“We have about 45,000 tonnes of product, raw materials, here at the Bindura facility, just waiting to be distributed. On top of that, we have more product that is in all the ports, Beira, Maputo and Valves Bay.
“That product is raw material that goes into the making of basal, as well as the top dressing that is necessary for the COTTCO, the Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme (PIP), the commercial and the retail sector,” he said.
Permanent Secretary, Prof Jiri said government is mobilizing support for the producers.
“They’ve got some contracts with some suppliers of raw materials, but they can’t move the product. Certainly, we need to support them in terms of financing, logistics and moral support that when they do their job, they are doing it for the country,” said Prof Jiri.
While the producer requested for support, the tour had showed that everything is on course to start distribution by mid-September.
“We are targeting our 2 million hectares of cereals. And we think that we are all going to be needing a lot of fertilizer. But the fertilizer is here.
“We do have enough suppliers, that’s what we must know. This is just one of the suppliers. And in terms of the total requirement, yes, we have enough in the country to support the entire program,” Prof Jiri said.
Durrad said: “We really truly hope that the tour of our fertilizer facility today at FSG Zimbabwe has shown that we are fully prepared to deliver.”
