Category: zimbabwe

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Russia has cancelled an international business conference set for June in Moscow, where a Zimbabwean delegation comprising legislators was expected to attend, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Local businessmen ranging from engineers, scientists, researchers and academics were due to converge in Moscow to explore opportunities.

The conference was supposed to take place between June 3 and 6.

Russia Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Nikolai Krasilnikov yesterday paid a courtesy call on Senate President Mabel Chinomona to advise her of the cancellation of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

“We discussed a lot of bilateral issues with our Russian Ambassador, but he also brought communication about the cancellation of a business conference that we were supposed to attend. I had actually gathered a team comprising businessperson who include Members of Parliament. The cancellation is due to the coronavirus pandemic and it was done as a precautionary measure,” said Cde Chinomona.

“During our meeting, we also discussed bilateral relations between our two countries as you know Russia and China as permanent members in the United Nations Security Council have stood by us.”

Cde Chinomona said while the cancellation of the conference was unfortunate, it was necessary, given the effect of the pandemic. She said the Russia diplomat had expressed satisfaction about several measures being taken by Zimbabwean authorities to deal with the pandemic.

Mr Krasilnikov said Russia was encouraged by several measures the Government was taking to contain the disease.

“We exchange views during our meeting as the international community take necessary measures to contain the spread of the disease. We are also impressed by the measures being taken by the Government of Zimbabwe in this regard,” said Mr Krasilnikov.

He hailed the bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and Russia.

“We had a wonderful meeting with Senate President. We discussed development in various fields of our bilateral relations. You know that the relation is deep-rooted. We are happy with the state of our interaction. We stand by the Republic of Zimbabwe in many instances and we support each other in United Nations, International Parliamentary Union and other platforms,” said Mr Krasilnikov.

The pandemic has seen several people from Asia, Europe and Africa testing positive to the disease.

Zimbabwe has not recorded cases of the pandemic and continue to take precautionary measures.

Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has announced the 2020 pre-planting winter wheat producer price of ZW$14 143, 73 per tonne for Grade A, with other grades fetching ZW$11 786, 44.

Also, the floor price for a tonne of soya beans for the 2019-20 farming season has been set at ZW$12 833 per tonne.

The producer prices are reflective of the current economic situation and are expected to help farmers to execute their agricultural business.

Briefing the media during her brief of decisions made by Cabinet in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the Cabinet considered the 2020 winter wheat pre-planting price and the 2019-2020 soya bean producer floor prices.

“Cabinet considered the 2020 winter wheat pre-planting price and the 2019-2020 soya bean producer floor prices as presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Perrance Shiri on behalf of the chair of the Cabinet Committee on Food Security and Nutrition and approved as follows; that the pre-planting winter wheat producer floor price be pegged at ZW$11 786, 44 per tonne at a margin of 20 percent, assuming a yield of four tonnes per hectare; and the premium price for grade A wheat be set at ZW$14 143, 73 which is 20 percent above the wheat producer floor price,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

The minister also said that Cabinet had approved the price of ZW$12 833 per tonne for soya beans.

“The soya bean floor price be set at ZW$12 833 per tonne at a 20 percent margin, assuming a yield of two metric tonnes per hectare.

“That, going forward, the cost build-up plus margin model should be used in the determination of producer prices.

The Cabinet also encouraged farmers to increase the growing of sesame and sunflowers.

“The growing of sesame and sunflower should be promoted to increase feedstock for cooking oil production and as an import substitution strategy,” said the minister.

Over the years Zimbabwe has been a net wheat importer and Government has since included wheat under Command Agriculture to boost production.

Under the programme, wheat farmers received input support that included seed, fertilisers and herbicides, among others.

The country requires 460 000 tonnes of wheat every year to avoid bread shortages and current efforts are expected to progressively increase production to wipe out the deficit.

This is part of a raft of measures Government is taking to boost national food security, which also include importation of maize to ensure a steady a supply of bread and other bakery products.

Platinum prices are languishing near decade lows, yet investors in the number one supplier of the metal haven’t had it this good for years.

Anglo American Platinum declared its biggest dividend since 2008 as the company reported full-year earnings that nearly doubled, thanks to a weaker rand and surging prices for sister metal palladium. The Johannesburg-based miner’s shares have risen 104 percent in the past 12 months.

While rivals such as Impala Platinum Holdings and Lonmin are also benefiting from higher prices for palladium and rhodium, which they dig up alongside platinum, Amplats is in a particularly strong position. The company resumed dividends last February after a six-year hiatus, during which it sold and wound down older, less profitable operations.

Palladium has surged 47 percent to successive records since the end of August. – Bloomberg.