FARMERS will be paid promptly, following an announcement by the Grain Marketing Board of a new payment structure on grains, that will see them receive US dollars on delivery.

The parastatal made the announcement on Friday, with maize and traditional grains fetching US$390 per tonne, sunflower seeds US$713 per tonne, up from US$696, while the producer price for soya beans has been set at US$620 per tonne, up from US$580.

Farmers were grateful for the stance taken by the Government and promised to deliver to the national silos countrywide, a move that will see the rise in the national strategic grain reserves.

Zimbabwe National Farmers Union (ZNFU) president Mrs Monica Chinamasa said the development is a positive move towards addressing farmers' challenges.

"We welcome this development. However, I pray that the Government will honour its promises. We prefer that our money be always paid timeously. Sometimes Treasury seem not to be alive to consequences of late payments that might hinder production", said Mrs Chinamasa.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe stressed the importance of prompt payments. Timely payments are crucial for achieving food security and bumper harvests to fill the Strategic Grain Reserves (SGRs).

"If the country wants to achieve food security and bumper harvests to fill the strategic grain reserves, then farmers must be paid immediately after delivering produce to empower them to fund their operations effectively," he added.

The announcement came two weeks after the parastatal cleared the payment of US$3,29 million to all farmers who delivered wheat, maize and other grains for the past winter and summer seasons.

In an interview, GMB chief executive Dr Edson Badarai said the parastatal and Treasury had jointly committed themselves to national food security.

"GMB reiterates its commitment to play its role in ensuring national food security and the Treasury has assured to consistently release funds for farmer payments", said Dr Badarai.

This, he said, will encourage farmers to go all the way to produce for the country.

"We will continue to work seamlessly with Treasury to prioritise farmer payments for the upcoming season to ensure farmers are paid on time.

"We are encouraging farmers to deliver maize and other grains to GMB and payment will be made within 21 days.

"Having our silos full will ensure that the whole nation is well-fed and no one will die of hunger as promised by President Mnangagwa", said Dr Badarai.

Resources had been assured for early distribution of inputs to over 3,5 million smallholder farmers under the climate-proofed Pfumvudza/Intwasa Scheme that is aimed to boost output in the sector.

"This year we will roll out the summer cropping season inputs distribution on time.

"The GMB has introduced virtual depots where inputs are distributed directly from the supplier to the distribution point. This strategy will ensure timeous distribution directly to the beneficiary as well as reduce transport costs," he said.

To curb abuse of inputs, Government had maintained the new system introduced last season to capture distribution through a fool-proof digital platform as well as the use of hybrid committees.

"The GMB is mandated by the Government to ensure the smooth implementation of the Presidential Inputs Distribution Programme. Beneficiaries will be signing on the online App as we move from the physical paper which was prone to be tampered with," he said.