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Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter
Small-scale cotton farmers are now guaranteed inputs after Government bought 4 000 tonnes of seed, 6 600 tonnes of compound fertilisers and 5000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate for Pfumvudza cotton crop.
While the sacks of inputs are stacked up at Cottco depots, farmers are busy with land preparations to receive inputs.
The target is to put 285 000ha under Pfumvudza Cotton to produce 285 000 tonnes from 520 000 beneficiaries.
As always, Pfumvudza schemes see inputs released after the land preparations are done properly and signed off, ensuring that only those who do the work get the inputs, but also ensuring there are enough stocks to ensure everyone who does the work does get their inputs.
Farmers and the Government are determined to build on this year’s record harvests to increase crop production and productivity to meet and surpass requirements for industrial use through full implementation of the key tenets of the Agriculture Recovery Plan.
According to the update by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development on the preparations of the summer cropping season inputs update now starting there is a seed carry over of 2 725 tonnes and so far 1 266 tonnes have been received.
The report also shows that on fertiliser, there is a carry over of 3625 tonnes of Compound L and 3000 tonnes have been received. There is also a carry over of 2800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and so far 1 200 tonnes have been received.
Cotton Producers and Marketers Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Stewart Mubonderi said he is grateful to the Government for procuring inputs on time adding that Agricultural Marketing Authority should allocate clerks at the Cottco points on time so that inputs are also distributed on time.
He also appealed to the Government to moves inputs before the rainy season into remote and hard to reach areas like Mukumbura and Mabeye.
“We appeal to the Government to give inputs to farmers who live in areas which are difficult to access especially after raining. We are grateful for the procurement of inputs. At the moment inputs are at the main depots of Cottco,” he said.
He also advised farmers to get prepared for the next season adding that favourable rainfall patterns that the country is going to receive will ensure food security and a bumper harvest of grain and commercial crops.
He also advised farmers to register growing cotton in large numbers adding that more are likely to join cotton farming since they were motivated by their payments which they receive in foreign currency.
Already more farmers are preparing land for the next season he said adding that this year was the best season for cotton farmers as they were paid with a high component in foreign currency, like tobacco growers.
Cotton farmers were paid 75 percent of their total sales in US dollars and the remainder was paid in Zimbabwe dollars at prevailing interbank exchange rates upon delivery of the crop at any Cottco buying point.
“This is a welcome development. We are now receiving inputs on time and farmers are busy preparing the land, I urge you dig holes. I also urge more farmers to join cotton farming since the programme has extended to 520 000 farmers from 300 000,” he said.
A cotton farmer, Ms Doreen Chiedza from Mauya, in Hurungwe district, who is yet to try her luck this season, said she was being motivated by the handsome payouts and free inputs which are likely to be distributed on time to them. “I will try to do cotton next year as are most farmers in my area and surrounding places. Maybe l can do better in cotton farming,” she said.
Mrs Emilia Rwodzi (80) from Gudubu in Mhangura, who was elated by her recent payment of her cotton in local and foreign currency, said she was hoping to put a bigger portion of her farm under the crop this coming season.
The Presidential Cotton Inputs Scheme has transformed lives of many smallholder farmers in communal areas especially youths and women who were struggling to access funding. Under the facility, farmers are given seed, fertilisers and chemicals for free.
Online Reporter