Area under soyabean in Zimbabwe rises by 9 percent

Source: Area under soyabean rises 9pc | The Herald Edgar Vhera Agriculture Specialist Writer Soyabean contractors are optimistic of a huge harvest this season after a 9 percent increase in the area under soyabean from 51 488 hectares in the previous season to 55 944ha now. The jump in the area under soyabean is expected to reduce Zimbabwe’s import bill. This comes as imports of crude and refined soya bean oil and fractions, surged 30 percent to US$290 million last year, from US$223 million in the prior year, according to statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStats). The Government has been calling for import substitution through increased local production. Since 2010, Zimbabwe’s import of crude and refined soya bean oil has been on an upward trend from US$30 million in 2010 to US$290 million last year, representing a whopping 867 percent rise. Soyabean is a strategic crop and a raw material for oil expressing, stockfeed manufacturing and food industries. The ...