Grain Marketing Board

What Grain Marketing Board does

Grain Marketing Board (GMB) is the Zimbabwean parastatal grain marketing organization established by the Grain Marketing Act Chapter 18:14 in 1931, originally as the Maize Control Board and renamed in 1951 to cover additional grains and oilseeds. It operates as the sole statutory grain marketing body in Zimbabwe, mandated with national food security through procurement, storage, and distribution of maize, wheat, traditional grains, soy beans, and sunflower. GMB functions as buyer of last resort, guaranteeing market access for all farmers through its nationwide network of 89 depots and 1,804 grain buying points, and supplies millers, processors, and government strategic grain reserves.

The company's product portfolio centers on grain procurement and trading, storage and handling services (priced at US$2.90 per metric tonne per month), strategic grain reserve management, and the Farmer Card identification system. The flagship technology initiative is the AI-powered Smart Silos program — commissioned facilities at Kwekwe (May 2025) and Mutare (October 2025) each deliver 56,000 tonnes of capacity (7 silos x 8,000 tonnes), with automated drying at 100 tonnes/hour, dust extraction, moisture control rooms, cooling towers, and real-time sensor-based monitoring for quality control and anomaly detection. A planned 14-site national rollout aims to scale total storage capacity from 862,000 tonnes to over 1.5 million tonnes, with technology delivered under a government-to-government partnership with Belarus.

GMB's revenue model combines a trading margin on grain procurement and sales to processors with recurring storage and handling fees, supported by Treasury capital disbursements (US$15 million cumulative to date for farmer payments). Recent reforms enable third-party purchasing and storage through GMB infrastructure, positioning the board as a regional grain trade hub. The organization is wholly owned by the Government of Zimbabwe, supervised by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, and led by CEO Dr. Edson Badarai (appointed May 2023) with prior leadership from Rockie Mutenha (retired March 2023) and acting CEO Clemence Guta. GMB also wholly owns Grain Tigers Football Club, a Division One team in Kwekwe.

Name

Grain Marketing Board

Legal name

Grain Marketing Board (GMB)

Website

https://gmbdura.co.zw

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Grain Marketing Board is Zimbabwe's sole statutory parastatal grain marketing organization, procuring, storing, and trading maize, wheat, soy, and traditional grains through 89 depots and 1,804 buying points. It serves as buyer of last resort for farmers and supplier of strategic grain reserves for the Government of Zimbabwe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Commodity Storage & Marketing

NAICS

Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130), Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Commercial Grain Warehouses (USDA/State-Licensed) (AFAOACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities (AFAOAAAD), Food-Grade Grain Storage Warehousing (AFAOACAI), Grain Quality Testing (Moisture, Protein, Oil, Test Weight) (AFAOAMAB)

Keywords

• Grain procurement
• Strategic grain reserves
• Grain storage services
• Agricultural commodities trading
• National food security

Headquarters

HQ city

Harare

HQ country

Zimbabwe

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grain Procurement and Trading: GMB procures grain (maize, wheat, traditional grains, soy beans, sunflower) from farmers through its depot network and sells to millers and processors. Acts as buyer of last resort guaranteeing market access for all farmers. Revenue derived from the margin between procurement and selling prices.
2. Storage and Handling Services: Provides grain storage and handling services to farmers, millers, and processors. Charges reduced storage fees of US$2.90 per metric tonne per month. Third-party purchasing and storage services facilitated on behalf of various stakeholders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grain Marketing Board is Zimbabwe's state-owned grain marketing parastatal that procures grain (maize, wheat, traditional grains, soy beans, sunflower) from farmers through a national network of 89 depots and 1,804 buying points, and sells to millers and processors. It provides grain storage and handling services at US$2.90 per metric tonne per month, manages strategic grain reserves for national food security, and is deploying AI-powered Smart Silos across 14 sites nationally for automated storage, quality control, and real-time monitoring.

Product overview

Grain Marketing Board (GMB) is Zimbabwe's state-owned grain trade and marketing company operating a dual product portfolio: traditional grain procurement and storage services across 89 depots and 1,804 buying points, combined with next-generation AI-Powered Smart Silos featuring automated monitoring, drying, and quality control systems. The Smart Silos represent a major technology initiative with AI-powered facilities at Kwekwe and Mutare (56,000mt each) as part of a planned 14-site national network. Core services include Farmer Card identification systems, transportation and logistics management, and strategic grain reserve operations supporting national food security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AI-Powered Smart Silos
• Grain Storage and Handling Services
• Grain Procurement and Trading
• Strategic Grain Reserve Management
• Farmer Card
• Transportation and Logistics

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced storage fees to US$2.90 per metric tonne per month
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Government of Zimbabwe (Second Republic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2024The Second Republic under President Mnangagwa is driving an infrastructure development program including construction of 14 AI-powered Smart Silos across Zimbabwe. GMB serves as implementing agency for this national agricultural modernization initiative aligned with Vision 2030 of achieving an upper-middle-class economy.
• Silo Foods Industries (SFI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2023GMB jointly participated with Silo Foods Industries (SFI) at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair 2023 under the theme 'GMB and SFI for continuous innovation towards agricultural growth'. The partnership focuses on agricultural value addition and food security initiatives.
• Government of BelaruscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2023Partnership through government-to-government agreement to construct four Smart Silos at different GMB depots. First Smart Silos constructed at GMB Kwekwe with technology and expertise from Belarus. Part of Zimbabwe's broader vision to strengthen national food security through advanced storage infrastructure.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bunge Limited: Global agribusiness and grain trading major with grain origination and storage operations across multiple continents. Comparable grain merchandising and storage business model.
• Cargill: Global grain merchandiser and agricultural commodity trader operating origination, storage, and trading across Africa. Comparable grain trading and merchandising activity at vastly larger scale.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness giant with grain origination, storage, and trading operations. Comparable commodity trading and storage business model at multinational scale.
• AFGRI Group Holdings (South Africa): South Africa's largest grain storage and agribusiness operator with extensive silo network and grain trading operations. Comparable commercial grain storage scale and African footprint.

Emerging players

• Export Trading Group (ETG): Pan-African agricultural commodity aggregator and trader with extensive smallholder farmer networks across multiple African countries. Comparable emerging-market grain origination model with similar smallholder-focused approach.

Direct peers

• National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB, Kenya): Kenya's state-owned grain marketing and storage parastatal with a comparable buyer-of-last-resort mandate, depot network, and strategic food reserve role. Most directly comparable institutional peer to GMB across Eastern/Southern Africa.
• National Food and Strategic Reserve Agency (NFRA, Zambia): Zambia's national strategic grain reserve agency responsible for procurement, storage, and distribution of staple grains. Closest geographic peer with parallel institutional mandate.
• Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC, Malawi): Malawi's statutory grain buyer and strategic reserve manager, operating a depot network and acting as buyer of last resort for smallholder farmers. Highly comparable parastatal structure and mandate.
• Tanzania National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA): Tanzania's parastatal grain reserve agency with similar procurement, storage, and food security mandate. Direct East African peer in the same institutional category.

Others

• Silo Foods Industries (SFI): GMB's strategic partner in value addition and food manufacturing, jointly exhibiting at ZITF and participating in agricultural value chain initiatives. Adjacent value-addition partner rather than competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gmbdura
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gmbdura2204
• Facebookfacebook.com/GMBdura-100057420349203
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grain-marketing-board-zimbabwe
• Instagraminstagram.com/grainmarketingboard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grain Marketing Board