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Edgar Vhera Agriculture Specialist Writer
IT will take good agronomic practices and the right management of both the soil and crop, if the recently introduced Mahyco C567 cotton hybrid is to produce competitively and lucratively.
These are the wise words of advice from this year’s best cotton farmer, Mr Smart Kambanje of Nembudziya under Chief Makore in Gokwe district, who started his romance with the white gold in 2016.
A proud Mr Kambanje stands in front of the tractor he won.
“It all started in 2016 when I planted the local cotton variety SZ9314 and managed to get 37 bales of seed cotton from two hectares. That year seed cotton was bought at a good price of US$1 per kg and I managed to build a house and buy a grinding mill.
That was the year my lifestyle changed from doing menial jobs such as weeding on other people’s fields to managing my own farming ventures,” said Mr Kambanje.
Mr Kambanje narrated how in 2017 he planted the local cotton variety CRI-MS1 and got 49 bales but his biggest undoing came in the form of the falling prices that reached a low of US$0,47 per kg.
“I still managed to be among the top four best farmers in the Quton seed competition despite failing to replicate the previous season’s form even though I planted the same cotton variety. In 2018, I planted the same variety again and managed 21 bales with prices further plummeting to a record US$0,34 per kg,” said Mr Kambanje.
Because of the continued shrinking cotton output in consecutive seasons, Mr Kambanje decided to settle for a new cotton seed variety – the 301, which he duly planted in 2019 but still recorded a negligible change, harvesting 27 bales with prices still very low at US$0,35 per kg. His biggest problem that season was in the form of incessant rains that saw him constructing ridges eventually to allow some of the water to flow out of the field.
In 2020, he adopted the 302 variety and reaped 27 bales with a kilogramme attracting $47,50 per kg in local currency.
“I decided to experiment with Mahyco C567 in 2021 and put one hectare under the imported hybrid seed. I planted it on the January 1. Earlier, I had planted another hectare of the local foundation cotton seed variety SZ9314.”I observed that there was not much difference in the yields between the two with the imported Mahyco hybrid producing 4 560 kg while the local variety SZ9314 got 4 006 kg.
If anything, I noticed that the balls from the local variety were heavier at about five grammes compared to around three grammes for the Mahyco hybrid,” continued Mr Kambanje.
To reduce competition for sunlight Mr Kambanje had to put four lines of cotton plants 120cm apart and 30cm within the same raw and removed the fifth line to create enough space for scotch cart to pass through. This helped to ensure that the outer two lines on either side utilised initially meant for the cleared one while the two middle ones got light without competition.
He split applied top-dressing fertiliser to reduce chances of the crop getting affected in the event of rains coming in limited quantities.
Mr Kambanje believes cotton farmers should make good use of the free input package they are getting from the Government every year and to take farming as a serious business.
The Government’s intervention this year through the US$60 plus Z$6 500 per 200 kg bale price has brought joy to cotton producers brightening prospects of the hectarage growing next season.
“I managed to get US$2 570 cash and Z$278 395. Apart from cotton, I also had three hectares of maize from which I got 12 tonnes, two of which I have already delivered to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) earning US$180 and Z$200 000 in the process.
Next season I intend to rent some land from other farmers and my cotton hectarage,” further observed Mr Kambanje.
Cotton Research Institute head Mr Washington Mubvekeri shared Mr Kambanje’s enthusiasm saying cotton farmers should choose the correct agro-ecological regions, grow certified seed, plant early, weed and manage pests in their crops. they should also adhere to recommended plant populations and provide adequate nutrients among other requirements
Online Reporter