The Sunday News
Roberta Katunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE Government has availed $34 million worth of cotton inputs to boost production of cotton this season.
According to the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe which is working with Government in the distribution of the inputs, this season will produce the lowest yields since 1992 with less than 30 000 tonnes expected compared to 102 000 from last season.
Cotton farmers have reportedly been shunning the production of the crop citing high costs of production coupled with the low seed cotton prices in the market resulting in increased poverty levels and stagnating development in the cotton growing areas which receive low rainfall. An official from Cottco who spoke on condition of anonymity said farmers used to get inputs from the company on a credit basis with the debt being settled at harvest time.
“The difference this time around with the Government inputs is that they are free which means that cost is eliminated. The Government and Cottco are giving 20 kilogrammes of seed, two bags basalt and a bag of top dressing, pesticides and herbicides. This arrangement leaves the farmer with the potential to make profits,” said the official.
The Government initiative started last year. When it began, Cottco withdrew from the Cotton Ginners Association and started buying cotton independently offering an average price of 45c/kg.
A statement availed to Sunday Business from Cottco noted that the Government intervention has seen farmers who had a long absence in the production of the crop now clearing their fields that were last cropped four years ago. “The 2016-2017 cotton cropping season has been well prepared for with the crucial inputs to cotton production now on the ground with the farmer.
Farmers are encouraged to use all inputs intended for production, inputs are not for resale as they are Government property,” said Cottco.
According to statistics from Cottco, seed that has been distributed nationwide at the moment is 4 900 tonnes.
“The main challenge now is to increase the farmers yield per hectare and put in place controls that will check for productivity and utilisation of the inputs,” said Cottco.
Zimbabwe was one of the global cotton’s top quality producers but levels have gone down to less than 10 percent of normal production. Last year the Government availed $25 million worth of free inputs. Cotton remains the country’s second largest foreign currency earner from the agricultural sector after tobacco; but the labour intensive crop is under threat as buyers fail to provide a sustainable price to farmers.
