Source: GMB engages transporters for 2026 marketing season – herald
Edgar Vhera-Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
Preparations for the 2026 grain marketing season are underway, with the Grain Marketing Board engaging private transporters to facilitate the movement of 500 000 tonnes of grain to feed the Strategic Grain Reserve.
Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, said the Government’s role in agriculture markets, through GMB, would remain limited to the purchase and management of the SGR and providing storage facilities for Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX).
“The 2026 National Budget will, therefore, target procurement of the Strategic Grain Reserve of about 500 000 tonnes with the objective of increasing the stock levels to over 1.5 million tonnes over the medium term,” he said.
In a recent notice, GMB invited prospective private transporters to submit company profiles for consideration in the execution of its various logistical assignments.
“GMB invites reputable transporters to submit company profiles consisting of the following documents for registration for the 2026 season: letter of introduction, certificate of incorporation, valid operator’s license and goods in transit cover insurance with a minimum cover of US$20 000 or equivalent at bank rate,” read the notice.
Transporters are required to have a valid certificate of fitness, trade history and reference from three reputable companies and a valid value-added tax (VAT) certificate.
“Proof of valid registration with Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ), CR14 and CR6 Forms, banking details, lease agreement or proof of premise ownership and tracking system confirmation letter are also mandatory,” reads the notice.
GMB is also conducting mandatory orientation workshops for prospective transporters in each of the three cluster regions on different dates.
For the Northern region (covering Harare and the three Mashonaland provinces), the workshop will take place at Aspindale Training Centre, while the Eastern region, covering Masvingo and Manicaland provinces, will meet at Mutare GMB depot.
The Southern region (covering Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and North provinces and Midlands) will hold its workshop at Bulawayo’s Nkulumane depot.
GMB is responsible for ensuring the country’s food security by marketing and trading grains and other agricultural products.
The parastatal achieves this by undertaking the roles of buying grains and oilseeds from farmers and selling them on domestic and international markets, storing grains and oilseeds in depots across the country and distributing farming inputs to farmers.
The National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2) will see the GMB increasing its services to provide national warehouses and secure storage facilities.
“The new GMB grain warehousing arrangements will be underpinned by the establishment of collection points nationwide, also embracing decentralisation to overcome challenges in grain logistics, access and cost.
“Millers, processors and stockfeed manufacturers will be able to access grain closer to their localities, dramatically cutting transportation costs and improving efficiency across the supply chain,” read the NDS 2.
The blueprint states that a key feature of the warehousing arrangement will be the introduction of a grain receipt system that transforms grain into a fungible and bankable asset, effectively facilitating the collection of grain from GMB locations different from where depositing would have been undertaken.
“This way the GMB would serve as a facilitator, using its wide national footprint to enhance private sector participation and consequently, the reliability of grain supply,” read NDS 2.
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