Farmers undress Cottco

Agriculture Reporter
Farmers have accused Cottco of conniving with officials from the Agricultural Marketing Authority to register them as cotton growers without their consent.
Cotton Marketers and Ginners Association secretary Mr Morris Mukwe said farmers in Chiredzi, Mwenezi, Zaka, Gokwe and some parts of Chipinge were complaining that they were being forced to be contracted by Cottco.

“Most farmers who have been on the Cottco register last season have reported that they are being registered under Cottco without their consent. This is a bad practice which we would want investigated,” he said.

Mr Mukwe said most farmers were preferring to be registered by companies that were offering higher prices last season.
“Cottco is among the companies that were offering low prices and many farmers are not willing to be contracted by the company this season. Farmers should be left to choose companies of their choice,” he said.

Cottco marketing and public relations manager Ms Veronica Kadandara denied that Cottco was forcibly registering farmers for the 2013/14 cotton growing season.

“These are just allegations and they are not true. The registration process requires a farmer to physically come to the common buying point and then submit his or her identity particulars,” she said.

Further to that, she said, the farmer would be required to submit information on hectarage one wants to be supported with, the contractor he wants to be contracted to, the village that he or she stays and the nearest school and then the farmer signs the form together with a Cotton Ginners’ Association clerk and the contracting company representative.

“There is no way a farmer can be registered during his/her absence because of those details required, including his or her signature. Farmers indicate who they want to register with without any intimidation or force whatsoever.

“Besides, all other contracting companies will be present for the registration process and it will be naïve for any company to force growers to register with them,” she said.