Online Reporter
Edgar Vhera
Specialist Writer – Agribusiness
THE Cotton Research Institute has released new hybrid cotton varieties in response to climate change, emerging pests, rising production costs and the growing need for sustainable farming systems.
This comes against a background of declining seed cotton production in the country, productivity and quality over the years.
Speaking at a recent CRI technical field day in Gokwe North’s Chitekete area, CRI acting head Mr Marco Mare said revival of Zimbabwe’s cotton and textile industries was critical to the country’s economic growth.
The field day ran under the theme: “Embracing innovation and unlocking potential with improved cotton varieties for sustainable cotton production.”
CRI is testing improved cotton genotypes across eight sites in Zimbabwe, including Chitekete, to find varieties that withstand climate stress and boost yields.
Mr Mare said the institute had achieved significant milestones in cotton variety development over the years.
“Two varieties, CRIMS 3 and CRIMS 4, were released in 2020, followed by CRIMS 5 and CRIMS 6 in 2022.
“In 2023, four additional varieties — CRIMS 7, CRIMS 8, CRI-HYB1 and CRI-HYB2 were released,” he disclosed.
Mr Mare said that in 2025, the institute released CRILS1, a premium long-staple cotton variety to support the revival of Zimbabwe’s textile industry through superior fibre quality, value addition, import substitution and enhanced export competitiveness, building on earlier successes.
The improved varieties offer high yield potential, excellent fibre quality, ginning out-turns exceeding 40 percent and large, well-filled bolls averaging over five grammes, enabling farmers to achieve higher productivity and improved profitability.
CRI’s current research focuses on developing short-statured, compact cotton varieties capable of supporting plant populations of at least 75 000 plants per hectare.
“These varieties have good water and nutrient use, simplified management, reduced pesticide requirements, low production costs and increased productivity.
“The institute is also advancing environmentally friendly crop protection technologies through the development of botanical pesticides, plant extracts and biopesticides that reduce reliance on synthetic chemicals while protecting human health and the environment,” he pointed out.
CRI has also come up with another promising innovation — the push-pull pest management system using pigeon pea as a companion crop, which contributes to pest suppression and improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, and provides nutritious grain for food security and additional household income.
Cotton Pro Company Pvt Ltd chief executive, Mr Tararama Gutu, said the country must reposition cotton as a strategic dual-purpose crop to provide fibre for the textile sector and oilseed for food security to advance its twinning goals of import substitution and value addition.
“Cotton is not just a crop; it is an industrial ecosystem.
“By realigning policy, finance and technology, Zimbabwe can again clothe Africa, stabilise its cooking-oil sector, create employment and make cotton truly the fabric of our national prosperity,” Mr Gutu said.
He pointed out that quality revival depended on restoring precision and traceability across the value chain, with CRI and Quton re-tooled to breed certified, pest-resistant long-staple (LS) varieties, while the introduction of a national bale-barcode identity system to track bre from field to ginnery to buyer was an added advantage.
“To regain competitive advantage, Zimbabwe must set itself apart through its high fibre quality and revert to LS as national standard (28–30 mm staple, 4.0– 4.5 micronaire; 10 percent higher spinning efficiency).
“It must synchronise agriculture, ginning, spinning, weaving and garmenting under one policy umbrella and build Zimbabwe’s brand around LS and Extra-Long Staple (ELS) certified by the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC),” he added.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) show that the average national seed cotton yield has been on a continual decline from a peak of 1,8 tonnes per hectare in 1980 to the El Niño-induced low of 93 kg per ha in 2024.
Between 1980 and 1989, the average was 1,3 tonnes per ha before dropping to 817kg between 1990 and 1999.
It dropped further to an average of 713kg between 2000 and 2009 and slightly down to 607kg from 2010 and 2019.
It was to drop to an average of 300kg between 2020 and 2025.
