Zimpapers hosts oilseeds conference

THE country’s biggest diversified media group, Zimbabwe Newspapers(Zimpapers), in partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, will host an oilseeds conference on May 22, 2025 in Kadoma.

The conference will bring together industry stakeholders, policymakers and experts to discuss key issues affecting the oilseeds sector, including market trends, business opportunities and strategic partnerships.

The oil sector has been identified as a low-hanging fruit to advance the Government’s import substitution, rural industrialisation and smallholder farmer empowerment through sustainable oilseed production and value addition.

The Government declared cotton and sunflower strategic oilseed crops in 2021 and reclassified soyabean as a “feed and oilseed crop’’, from an “oilseed crop”.

“The reason we partnered with the ministry is that the cotton industry almost collapsed and the Government had to intervene and introduce free cotton inputs in 2015/16.

“Though cotton production is on a rebound following the introduction of the programme, productivity and production are low and still fluctuate in response to season quality, highlighting the need to intensify climate-proofing interventions,” said Mr Obert Chifamba, agriculture editor of The Herald, a key part of Zimpapers’ Digital and Publishing (DAP) division.

While the country has successfully domesticated cooking oil production through over US$100 million foreign and local investment into the sector since dollarisation in 2009, a worrying trend has emerged of ballooning growth in the oilseed imports.

Zimbabwe still imports upwards of US$300 million worth of oils annually, hence the urgent need to increase local production of cotton, sunflower and soyabean to arrest this predicament.

This import counteracts the import substitution drive as it causes the outflow of foreign currency and export of jobs.

The industry has installed an oil crushing capacity of about 449 000 tonnes, which is lying idle due to inadequate raw materials.

In view of the rural industrialisation thrust, import substitution and curtailment of job export, Zimpapers is hosting a one-day oilseeds workshop, which is expected to revive the sustainable production of cotton, sunflower and soyabean for rural development by reinforcing the success factors of yesteryears such as high yield, area and growers, increased Government funding and suitability of production due to climate change.

Furthermore, the business opportunities for participation in the value-added nodes of cotton ginning and oilseed crushing to produce edible oils and stock feeds at the local level will be demonstrated.

The main challenges in cotton production include side-marketing and ensuring that farmers who receive inputs under the Government programme use these for cotton production.

For cotton, there are varied explanations on the issue of free cotton, with others saying the volume-based contract mandates the farmer to sell only 800 kilogrammes of seed cotton per hectare, and is free to sell the remaining produce as free cotton.

On the other hand, some players say there is no free cotton this year as no one registered with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to produce free cotton.

“We feel this is an opportunity for all players in the cotton industry to understand the legal provisions contained in statutory instruments (SIs) as regards free cotton to avoid confusion.

“This conference will also give sunflower and soyabean value chains to interact with Government policymakers, sponsors and investors,” he added.

Mr Chifamba also highlighted problems faced by the oil seeds industry, including inadequate inputs and delayed payments, which lead to side marketing.

“We hope to bring all stakeholders together to discuss the current situation in the industry and explore solutions through collaborative discussions,” he said.

With a focus on practical solutions and sustainable practices, the conference promises to be a landmark event in the industry’s calendar.

By bringing together key stakeholders, the conference aims to shape the future of Zimbabwe’s oilseed industry and contribute to the country’s economic prosperity.-herald