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THE Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has set 30 September as the deadline for players in the cotton industry to register for the 2013/ 14 farming season.“Prospective and existing seed cotton growers, contractors, buyers, ginners and their respective associations are invited to register or renew their registration with AMA for the 2013/14 production season in line with Statutory Instrument 142 of 2009 as amended in Statutory Instruments 63 of 2011 and 148 of 2012,” it said in statement.
Interested players in the industry are also expected to contribute towards a seed cotton production fund to fulfill registration requirements.
Cotton production is on the decline in Zimbabwe as farmers have abandoned the crop on the back of a number of challenges.
Among the obstacles is the constant price wrangling in the sector almost every marketing season. Some cotton farmers have also chosen to go for other cash crops such as tobacco where selling is more orderly and payment instant.
Side marketing has also resulted in a decline in financial support for the sector by corporates. Cotton, the country’s third largest foreign currency earner in agriculture after tobacco and sugar, is a source of livelihood for over 250 000 families in the drier parts of Zimbabwe.
Some of the places in which cotton is grown include Muzarabani, Chiredzi, Gokwe and Chipinge. – New Ziana
Online Reporter