Rains delay seed cotton validation exercise, AMA

Edgar Vhera

Specialist Writer – Agribusiness

THE Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has assured cotton stakeholders that the second part of the cotton validation exercise will commence soon after the wet weather pattern being experienced in most production areas, clears.

This comes against the backdrop of successful assessments of contractors’ datasets under the first phase that began end of January with the physical assessment of planted cotton area outstanding.

Speaking at the unveiling of the 2026 seed cotton grading standards in Harare recently, AMA agribusiness director, Mr Jonathan Mukuruba, said the validation exercise will be slightly delayed due to wet weather in some parts of the country.

“It’s still swampy in some areas, we are watching the weather conditions and once it clears, we will go ahead. But this year’s crop is better than last year’s and we also expect contractors to supply woolpacks well in advance to all contracted farmers to reduce contamination of seed cotton,” he said.

Southern Cotton Company managing director, Mr Caos Nzenze, concurred, saying they are waiting for the rains to recede.

“AMA can confirm when the exercise will start, but in some areas the rains have retreated,” he said.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers union (ZCFU) cotton commodity chairman, Mr Clemency Gondo, agreed that the validation exercise has not started, but the crop was looking good and farmers were eagerly awaiting price negotiations for this year’s crop.

Cotton Producers and Marketers Association chairman, Mr Stewart Mubonderi, said this year’s crop output will be better than last year.

“This year’s crop will be better than last year’s and could have been much better had growers received adequate top-dressing fertiliser.

“The quality could also have improved this year had farmers been given enough crop chemicals,” he remarked.

According to statutory instrument (SI) 118 of 2022 [Chapter 18:12], Agricultural Marketing Authority (Seed Cotton and Seed Cotton Products) (Amendment) Regulations, a monitoring committee comprising the Authority, Agritex and each contractor shall conduct a verification process by end of January each year to determine crop establishment.

Section 13 states that the cut-off date for issuance of first tranche inputs shall be December 31 of each year and the issuance of second tranche inputs shall be February 28 of each year.

Even though input distribution figures provide an indication of planned production, they do not always reflect the actual crop established in the field, highlighting the need for the second part of validation as a critical step in bridging the gap between projected and actual production.

Section 14 of SI 118 of 2022 says “A fully compliant buyer or contractor shall only purchase seed cotton allocated to them as their buying quota as determined by the level of support. The Authority shall by April 1 each year, issue contractors’ or buyers’ licences to compliant buyers or contractors specifying the allocated quota by buying point.

“A buyer or contractor shall, upon purchasing seed cotton, place a woolpack identification document (ID) on the wool. All contractors should issue adequate wool packs to their growers by March 15 of each year.”

SI 118 of 2022, under section 15 reads: “Inform growers of their grade results by way of displaying grade results at every common buying point within seven days after grading. Pay growers grade differential prices for their seed cotton deliveries after grading seed cotton by November 30 each year.”

According to Statutory Instrument 142 of 2009, “Seed cotton contract” means a contractual arrangement between a contractor and a grower, under which the contractor provides or finances the purchase of agreed inputs as recommended by Agritex in return for the grower selling a volume equivalent to the inputs given to him or her by the contractor.

Officially opening last year’s Cotton Indaba Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said in 2025 the cotton industry conducted the validation exercise when harvesting of some of the crop had begun.

He said conducting crop validation after harvest was not validation but an autopsy and the sample size between six and nine percent was statistically insignificant.