dyton mupawaenda
Edgar Vhera-Agriculture Specialist Writer
THE Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) has launched a campaign to encourage cotton farmers to expand hectarages if they have unused land to ensure the country achieves its target of 357 250ha for the 2023/24 season, with seed enough to cover 300 000ha having already been distributed so far.
Cottco acting chief executive officer Mr Munyaradzi Chikasha revealed this during an interview with The Herald yesterday.
Said Mr Chikasha: “The drive is targeting areas that still have a planting window such as Muzarabani, Mushumbi, Machaya, Rushinga, Hoya in the Zambezi Valley, then Chiredzi, Checheche, Ngundu as well as Zhomba in the Lowveld, Chireya in Gokwe and Uzumba in Mashonaland East. The blitz is running until the end of the planting window on February 15.”
The Government has since deployed agricultural extension officers to the targeted areas to ensure farmers are adequately supported with all the resources that are needed during the crop establishment stage.
Mr Chikasha also revealed that his organisation was single-handedly targeting to support 260 000ha of cotton after revising the target from the initial 140 000ha. Cottco would also buy 150 000 tonnes of seed cotton.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) show that inputs with potential to cover 298 816 hectares had been disbursed to 206 412 growers by all contractors as at January 10.
This represents 84 percent of the targeted national hectarage of 357 250. Seven of the registered contractors have given inputs to growers this season with the duo of Galaxy Cotton and Cangrow yet to begin.
Alliance Ginneries, Zimbabwe Cotton Consortium and Agri-Value Chain have surpassed their revised target after achieving 116 percent, 118 and 106 respectively.
Innovative has disbursed 89 percent of its revised target followed by Cottco on 78, Southern Cotton Company at 63 and New Cotton Company at 11.
A total of 4 482 234 kilogrammes of seed, 13 576 977 kg of basal fertiliser and 3 857 989 kg of lime have been disbursed by all contractors.
The country initially set the national target of 271 286 hectares before revising it upwards by 32 percent.
Announcing the 2023/24 cotton production and marketing arrangement at the start of the season, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said accountability and grower viability was key for sustained production.
“Transformation of the cotton sector is premised on grower viability which can be achieved by giving farmers fair prices for seed cotton. Sustenance of this transformation is under pinned by grower viability and discipline at grower, contractor, Government, stakeholder and partner levels. Increasing discipline augurs well for value chain financing.
“Specifically for the Presidential Cotton Scheme, farmers who received inputs in the previous seasons and did not deliver seed cotton to Cottco will access inputs on an explain and receive basis for accountability. Those who delivered seed cotton will receive inputs on a first come first served basis,” Dr Masuka added.
Records from the Presidential Cotton Scheme show that the percentage of growers contracted against those who delivered seed cotton to Cottco has been declining from 58 percent in 2020 to 37 percent in 2023.
The country’s seed cotton production increased from 56 million kilogrammes in 2022 to last year’s 90 million and this year production is estimated to be over 200 000 tonnes for increased foreign currency generation and source of raw material for cooking oil and stockfeed manufacturing industries.
Online Reporter