AMA to launch cotton marketing season next week

Precious Manomano Herald Reporter

The 2023 cotton marketing season launch will be held in Mahuwe, Mashonaland Central on Monday 22, 2023.

Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development minister Dr Anxious Masuka, who will be the guest of honour, is expected to lay out clear expectations on the marketing of seed cotton.

Agriculture Marketing Authority (AMA) chief executive officer Mr Clever Isaya said all systems will go for the marketing of cotton seed.

“All systems are in place for the launch of the 2023 cotton marketing season. We have decided to have the launch in Mahuwe because we believe it is a farming hub of the ‘white gold’. It speaks to the high volume of seed cotton produced in this area,” he said.

Mr Isaya emphasised that as the regulator, AMA has put a conducive environment to make sure the season runs smoothly.

“The issue of side marketing in the marketing of cotton is high on the agenda for us this year. This year, a number of initiatives have been implemented to curb side marketing among them is the deployment of a clean database and AMA clerks at all cotton buying points who verify all the details before any sale proceeds,” he added.

Zimbabwe’s cotton season runs in two phases: planting between October and January and a harvesting and marketing phase that normally runs from May to September.

Last year, the government announced pre-planting producer prices for strategic crops, with cotton prices pegged per grade, ranging from US$0,40 per kg for grade D to US$0,46 for grade A.

Cotton remains an important source of income for small-holder farmers owing to these cash crops being export revenue generators.

The Central Bank early this year announced that cotton farmers will be paid 85 percent of their earnings in foreign currency as the government sought to boost production of one of Zimbabwe’s top forex earning crops.