Cotton production in Mat North on the rise

Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Farming Reporter
COTTON production in Matabeleland North Province is on the rise with a number of farmers taking up the cropping of the white gold owing to its drought resistance nature and lucrative price.

Matabeleland North Department of Crop and Livestock provincial agronomist Mr Davison Masendeke said there has been a marginal increase in the number of farmers growing cotton as well as the hectares put under the crop this season.

“This season we are slightly 200 hectares above last year in terms of the area planted,” he said.

Last season a total of 7 356 hectares was planted under cotton and this season 7 560 hectares was put under the crop, an increase of 204 hectares. However, the province failed to achieve its target of having an area of 10 535 planted under the white gold of this 6 463 hectares have been cropped in Binga District.

“The advantage is that Binga has bigger depots for cotton collection and that on its own encourages cotton production in that area. We used to have a number of collection points at various places in districts but due to the economic decline over the years most of them diminished but now they are being developed and this has somehow encouraged farmers to take up cotton farming. It’s currently one of the cash crops which fetch good prices,” said Mr Masendeke.

The Agriculture Marketing Authority said in the 2018 marketing season farmers were paid minimum prices ranging from 51,7 cents to 55 cents per kilogramme before grade adjustments.

A number of investors have over the years shunned the cotton industry in the country due to low international prices.

“We are working together with Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) and various companies to promote the growing of cotton in the province. We are calling on farmers to take up cotton farming because it’s a drought tolerant crop, which means it can withstand dry spells compared to other crops because it’s in a form of a tree thus we are encouraging farmers in all the province’s areas to go for it,” said Mr Masendeke.

The companies which have registered include the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), Southern Cotton, Alliance Ginneries, Zimbabwe Cotton Consortium, China Africa Cotton and Shawashaagri (Pvt) Ltd. Mr Masendeke said most of the cotton in the province was at an advanced stage of maturity.

“Our cotton is at late vegetative and early reproductive meaning farmers should start scouting both spiny ball worm and African ball worm. Apart from scouting farmers should improve their weed management as well as being on the outlook for aphids, which tend to multiple when there is a dry spell immediately after a wet spell,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s cotton output for the 2017/18 cropping season surged 95 percent compared to the previous period driven by Government’s Presidential Input Scheme and investments by private cotton companies.

@DNsingo