Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
Contractors have started distributing inputs to farmers for the 2025/26 cotton farming season.
This comes as five merchants have registered with the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to support growers.
A recent report by AMA showed that cotton input disbursement had started on a low note.
“Only Agri-Value Chain (AVC) and Southern Cotton Company (SCC) have started input disbursements,” said AMA.
The report showed that 554 farmers in Manicaland and 761 in Masvingo received inputs.
“Farmers in Manicaland received 18 345 kilogrammes of seed capable of planting 1 220 hectares, while those in Masvingo got 21 960 kg of seed with a potential area of 1 464ha.
“AVC has disbursed 33 315kg of seed, enough to plant 2 221ha to 1 092 growers, with SCC accounting for 6 990kg seed covering 463ha to 223 growers,” said AMA.
AMA recently issued Regulatory Circular number 3 of 2025 cited as the Agricultural Marketing Authority (Regulatory Circular on Cotton Inputs Distribution and applicable penalties), which lays rules and regulations in input distribution and mandated all registered cotton contractors to abide by the regulations.
According to the regulations, each contractor shall be mandated to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the authority at the beginning of each season, which will outline the contractor’s responsibilities.
Every contractor shall be mandated to use the authority’s central registration system for the onboarding of its farmers. Contractors shall ensure they have a valid contract signed between themselves and farmers, highlighting the contracted hectarage and the distributed inputs.
Fines and penalties will be imposed on violators depending on the level of the offence.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, recently urged all contractors to treat farmers as real entrepreneurs who take farming as a business.
He said contractors should provide farmers with a minimum input package on time to allow them to plant with the first rains for increased yield.
Zimbabwe is targeting to boost cotton production to 189 000 tonnes during the 2025/26 season, an increase of 575 percent from 28.9 million kg during the 2024/25 season.
