The Sunday News
Dickson Mangena, Farming Reporter
FARMERS have welcomed the $0,55 cents per kilogramme new cotton producer price announced by Government recently stating that it is more likely to spur production of the crop.
The Government pegged a pre-planting producer price of cotton at $0,45 cents plus a $0,10 cents bonus making it $0,55 per kg with the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe already giving $0,10 adjustment to farmers that sold their cotton in the year 2016.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union president Mr Abdul Nyathi said the upward review of the producer price will motive farmers to crop cotton, which a majority has been shunning over the years in protest over low prices.
“We welcome the excellent move by the Government to announce a relatively high pre-production price as that will empower the farmer to work hard during the farming period. In the previous years the producer price was at around $0,30 to $0,35 including the after harvest bonuses. The Government has already shown support to farmers by providing the farmers by close to 90 percent of the farming inputs,” said Mr Nyathi.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa reiterated Mr Nyathi’s sentiments stating that the new producer price would play a big part in improving cotton production in the country.
Once considered white gold because of the high prices it fetched on world markets, cotton’s lustre is on the wane and farmers have abandoned the crop in favour of alternative crops due to poor international prices.
Last year, cotton production declined by 34 percent from
136 000 tonnes in the 2013/14 season to 90 000 tonnes in the 2014/15 season due to the drought conditions.
This was the second lowest crop after
60 000 tonnes that was harvested in the 1991/92 season also due to severe drought conditions.
The area planted with cotton seed in the 2014/15 is estimated at 190 000 hectares, a 24 percent decrease from the 250 000 hectares planted in the 2013/14 season.
“We applaud Government for the support that it has given to cotton farmers because if we add the free inputs and the slightly high pre-planting price, compared to previous years, farmers are at a comparative advantage. The move will go a long way in improving the production of the white gold that brings in fresh foreign currency into the economy. In the past pre-planting prices were announced early before the farming season and that would allow planning for farmers and would influence which crop is produced more,” said Mr Chabikwa.
Zimbabwe cotton farming is mainly on a small-scale. The crop is grown mostly in Gokwe, Sanyati and in the northern areas such as Guruve, Muzarabani and Mt Darwin. Checheche also has cotton farms. On a large scale, cotton is grown in Chinhoyi, Mazowe, Rafingora and Triangle.
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